PositiveBooklistBaker’s plot is complex and gripping, featuring a brutal murder and an eye-opening look at suburban motherhood ... Dark secrets, retribution, and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child all feature in this twisted, disturbing story.
Paul Goldberg
PositiveBooklist[A] genre-defying thriller ... In a plot that’s as quirky, disjointed, and complex as it is mesmerizing, eclectic, and intriguing, Goldberg, who harbors mixed feelings about Russia, offers vivid characters, informative insights into history, language, culture, and politics, and a sad but convincing ending. Not an easy read, but a unique one.
Tiffany McDaniel
RaveBooklistIn this richly imaginative story, McDaniel takes the reader on a journey that is both painful and violent, but it shows the power of the human imagination to survive and offers a testament to women who, despite their strength, died in darkness. While this haunting and spellbinding tale is definitely not an easy read, it is thought-provoking, deeply moving, and rich with meaning.
Joseph O'Connor
RaveBooklistO’Connor is a masterful storyteller, weaving a violent, terrifying, suspenseful, yet ultimately uplifting story of one man’s courage and determination to fight back against Nazi brutality, whatever the risk. Superb!
Fabian Nicieza
RaveBooklist... offers a brilliant blend of searing social commentary, acerbic wit, and heart-wrenching tragedy ... This is an outstanding domestic thriller that effectively combines suburban comedy with a surprise-filled plot.
Erica Ferencik
RaveBooklistThe story evokes a palpable sense of foreboding and becomes increasingly ominous as it highlights the power of nature—and of human emotion. Original, intense, powerful, disturbing, and utterly mesmerizing, this one, which evokes Peter Høeg’s Smilla’s Sense of Snow, will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the book.
Janice Hallett
PositiveBooklistHallett is an expert at legerdemain, presenting what appears initially to be a straightforward story and then, bit by tantalizing bit, revealing one stunner after another until the reader, like the two junior barristers researching the case, finally sees the entire tragic picture. Clever writing, a truly original plot, and an explosive ending make this a must for mystery fans who like cozies with some bite.
Nina De Gramont
RaveBooklist[A] fanciful reimagining ... The author weaves a clever, highly original, mesmerizing tale filled with strange and unexpected turns and concludes it in an unexpected but wholly satisfying manner. With its superb writing, strong characterizations, and wonderfully imaginative plot, this is a must-read for fans of romance, history, or mystery.
Nita Prose
RaveBooklistCaptivating, charming, and heart-warming, with deft writing and a clever, original plot, this unusual crime novel will leave readers with a warm glow.
Fuminori Nakamura, Tr. Sam Bett
RaveBooklistIt is a dark, strange, violent, frightening story ... Nakamura is a gifted and highly imaginative writer. His characters and the shocking plot are bewildering and bizarre, with even the layout of the book supporting the dark, eerie theme. While this novel may not appeal to some reading tastes, it is a profound, revelatory, and deeply moving examination of the human mind, and for those willing to grapple with the tangled plot and deeply troubling themes, it will leave a lasting impression.
Robert J. Harris
PositiveBooklistHarris successfully captures Holmes’ brilliance, talent, and arrogance, as well as Watson’s dogged devotion to Holmes and the atmosphere in London during the dark days of war. The case he has imagined for Holmes to solve is both thoroughly challenging and pleasingly multilayered. A satisfying, albeit gruesome, read.
Tessa Lunney
RaveBooklistA mesmerizing, highly original tale that’s part spy thriller, part ode to a postwar Paris, part love story, and part mystery, Lunney’s latest features unique and captivating characters, rapid action, and a cliff-hanger ending.
Emma Stonex
RaveBooklistStonex’s unique tale juxtaposes oddly compelling reality—the daily challenges of being a lighthouse keeper for the men and their families—against a series of strange, poignant, near-mystical happenings that will pull readers in and keep them mesmerized right to the end. A fine read.
Charles Finch
RaveBooklistLenox’ latest adventure has humanity, heart, and humor; it offers a captivating glimpse of America’s richest citizens in the late 1800s; it delivers a gripping and cleverly plotted mystery; and, of course, Lenox remains a thoroughly charming lead character. A pleasure to read on every level.
Ace Atkins
PositiveBooklistAtkins continues to do the late author proud. Atkins again captures the Boston PI’s brash, principled, action-oriented personality to near-perfection, complete with Spenser’s signature smart-alecky humor ... With similarities to the Jeffrey Epstein case adding resonance, the talented Atkins delivers another engrossing thriller.
Sara Foster
PositiveBooklist... absorbing ... What starts like a murder mystery shifts into an examination of the consequences of loneliness, rejection, and despair, as readers gradually find out—in a series of riveting flashbacks—why Eleanor is so traumatized by her past. A gripping read with a heroine who is both a frustrating and an empathetic character. No revelatory ending, but a fascinating character study.
Sherry Thomas
PositiveBooklistThomas presents another engaging entry in her Lady Sherlock series ... While the case itself is intriguing, it is the portrayal of the societal expectations and restrictions faced by women in Victorian times, along with Charlotte’s ingenuity in surmounting these obstacles, that makes this such a winning read.
Lawrence Osborne
RaveBooklistOsborne evokes the exciting, tawdry, thrumming danger of Bangkok in this riveting tale of a woman whose poor choices, lack of will, and desperation lead to disaster. There’s an ominous sense of foreboding from the first page, and the tension ratchets up to a terrifying pitch before the horrifying and brutal conclusion. A gripping read but maybe not for the depressed or easily frightened.
