1EadieB
January 2025
1. Her Last Whisper by Jennifer Chase - 330 pgs. **** 1/1/2025
Katie focuses her mind, trying to keep another anxiety attack at bay. The victim’s long brown hair is slick and wet, her body rigid in the grass. She looks more like a mannequin than the woman Katie had spoken with only yesterday, the woman she had promised to protect. This is the second novel to feature Detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley, California Sheriff’s Department. She finds the sixth month old case of Amanda Payton who was kidnapped and held prisoner until she managed to escape. She is horrified when Amanda’s body is found murdered the next day. Then another woman disappears. This is an interesting read with an interesting plot. Katie suffers from PTSD from her time in the army. I enjoyed this book better than the first book but it's still not a 5 star read. If you enjoy books about missing persons then you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended!
1. Her Last Whisper by Jennifer Chase - 330 pgs. **** 1/1/2025
Katie focuses her mind, trying to keep another anxiety attack at bay. The victim’s long brown hair is slick and wet, her body rigid in the grass. She looks more like a mannequin than the woman Katie had spoken with only yesterday, the woman she had promised to protect. This is the second novel to feature Detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley, California Sheriff’s Department. She finds the sixth month old case of Amanda Payton who was kidnapped and held prisoner until she managed to escape. She is horrified when Amanda’s body is found murdered the next day. Then another woman disappears. This is an interesting read with an interesting plot. Katie suffers from PTSD from her time in the army. I enjoyed this book better than the first book but it's still not a 5 star read. If you enjoy books about missing persons then you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended!
2EadieB
2. Melania by Melania Trump - 338 pgs. ***** 1/2/2025
Melania is a compelling and inspirational memoir that offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who has navigated challenges with grace and determination. I enjoyed reading this book about Melania Trump, wife of Donald Trump. She reflects on her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from her time in the White House, shedding light on her advocacy work and the causes close to her heart. It brings readers into her world and presents an in-depth account of a woman who has led a remarkable life on her own terms. Melania Trump's story is one of resilience and independence, showcasing her strength and unwavering commitment to her true self. This was an interesting reflection of the First Lady in the White House and I learned a lot about Melania that I didn't already know. If you like biographies about First Ladies then you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended!
Melania is a compelling and inspirational memoir that offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who has navigated challenges with grace and determination. I enjoyed reading this book about Melania Trump, wife of Donald Trump. She reflects on her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from her time in the White House, shedding light on her advocacy work and the causes close to her heart. It brings readers into her world and presents an in-depth account of a woman who has led a remarkable life on her own terms. Melania Trump's story is one of resilience and independence, showcasing her strength and unwavering commitment to her true self. This was an interesting reflection of the First Lady in the White House and I learned a lot about Melania that I didn't already know. If you like biographies about First Ladies then you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended!
3EadieB
3. After She Vanished by S.A.Dunphy - 384 pgs. **** 1/8/2024
Almost twenty years ago, his young niece Beth vanished during their annual Christmas shopping trip. No trace of her was ever discovered. And the tragic mystery has loomed over Dunnigan's life ever since. As his current investigation draws him deeper into the city's dark underbelly, Dunnigan's resolve to help Harry and unravel this mystery grows stronger. And could it lead him one step closer to finding out what became of Beth? This is a good start to a new series. Dunnigan is an interesting character that I enjoy reading about. Still wondering what happened to Beth. Hopefully we will find out in the next book. Looking forward to book 2 in the series. Highly recommended!
Almost twenty years ago, his young niece Beth vanished during their annual Christmas shopping trip. No trace of her was ever discovered. And the tragic mystery has loomed over Dunnigan's life ever since. As his current investigation draws him deeper into the city's dark underbelly, Dunnigan's resolve to help Harry and unravel this mystery grows stronger. And could it lead him one step closer to finding out what became of Beth? This is a good start to a new series. Dunnigan is an interesting character that I enjoy reading about. Still wondering what happened to Beth. Hopefully we will find out in the next book. Looking forward to book 2 in the series. Highly recommended!
4EadieB
4. Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry - 368 pgs. **** 1/17/2024
In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry's latest Cotton Malone adventure, the arrogant greed of politics comes face-to-face with the weight of history. One by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world. After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder--blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons. The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over a secret that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe. From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to the ancient salt mines deep beneath the earth outside Krakow, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war--the outcome of which turns on something known as the Warsaw Protocol. Basically, the book is about whether we place missiles in Poland pointed at Russia or the Iranians. Since the Polish people say 'no missiles in Poland' that is what Cotton Malone does. He listens to the people of Poland and does what they want even though the president of the US, Warren Fox, wants to place the missiles in Poland. This is a great story and one you should read if you like political books. I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended!
In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry's latest Cotton Malone adventure, the arrogant greed of politics comes face-to-face with the weight of history. One by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world. After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder--blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons. The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over a secret that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe. From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to the ancient salt mines deep beneath the earth outside Krakow, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war--the outcome of which turns on something known as the Warsaw Protocol. Basically, the book is about whether we place missiles in Poland pointed at Russia or the Iranians. Since the Polish people say 'no missiles in Poland' that is what Cotton Malone does. He listens to the people of Poland and does what they want even though the president of the US, Warren Fox, wants to place the missiles in Poland. This is a great story and one you should read if you like political books. I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended!
5EadieB
5. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson - 659 pgs. ***** 1/29/2025
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again. I love the way that metals were used to give Kelsier and Vin power. The metals pushed and pulled as the characters grew stronger in order to fight the battles. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. If you like to read Fantasy, then you will like this book. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series called The Well of Ascension. Highly recommended!
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again. I love the way that metals were used to give Kelsier and Vin power. The metals pushed and pulled as the characters grew stronger in order to fight the battles. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. If you like to read Fantasy, then you will like this book. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series called The Well of Ascension. Highly recommended!
6EadieB
6. Murders at Raven's Hollow by Louis Marley - 356 pages ***** 2/5/2025
This is the 3rd book in An English Village Mystery by Louise Marley. DS Harriet Match and DI Ben Taylor characters delve into the troubled past her mind racing with questions. As the past unfolds, creating a narrative that keeps us engaged from the beginning to the end. This is a mystery with police procedural elements with a touch of suspense. If you enjoy mysteries books that linger in your mind, then you will love this book. I can't wait to read book #4. Highly recommended!
This is the 3rd book in An English Village Mystery by Louise Marley. DS Harriet Match and DI Ben Taylor characters delve into the troubled past her mind racing with questions. As the past unfolds, creating a narrative that keeps us engaged from the beginning to the end. This is a mystery with police procedural elements with a touch of suspense. If you enjoy mysteries books that linger in your mind, then you will love this book. I can't wait to read book #4. Highly recommended!
7EadieB
7. Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy - 384 pages ***** 2/14/2025
Realm of Ice and Sky is a thrilling narrative of polar exploration via of airship and the men who sacrificed everything to make history:
Walter Wellman pioneered polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation making history’s first attempt.
1908 American explorer Dr Frederick Cook first to claim he made it to the North Pole.
1909 American Robert Peary made it to the North Pole.
1926 Amundsen and Norge flew over the North Pole.
1928 Nobile returned but the journey ended in disaster.
If you like thrilling books, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
Realm of Ice and Sky is a thrilling narrative of polar exploration via of airship and the men who sacrificed everything to make history:
Walter Wellman pioneered polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation making history’s first attempt.
1908 American explorer Dr Frederick Cook first to claim he made it to the North Pole.
1909 American Robert Peary made it to the North Pole.
1926 Amundsen and Norge flew over the North Pole.
1928 Nobile returned but the journey ended in disaster.
If you like thrilling books, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
8EadieB
8. Fire Strike by Mike Madden - 432 pages **** 2/22/2025
Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must battle an army of genetically engineered mercenaries to stop a hypersonic missile attack in this explosive new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. This was a fast-paced exciting read. I sometimes have trouble with the weaponry but I seem to have made it through with this one. If you like action-packed thrillers, then you will love this book. Looking forward to the next installment.
Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must battle an army of genetically engineered mercenaries to stop a hypersonic missile attack in this explosive new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. This was a fast-paced exciting read. I sometimes have trouble with the weaponry but I seem to have made it through with this one. If you like action-packed thrillers, then you will love this book. Looking forward to the next installment.
9EadieB
9. The Wedding People by Alison Espach - 367 pages ***** 2/24/2025
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. Phoebe comes to the Cornwall Inn to kill herself. When she shows up there is a wedding about to happen. The bride, Lila, tells Phoebe she cannot kill herself as it will ruin her wedding. Phoebe and Lila become great friends and Phoebe is asked to be Lila's maid of honor. There is lots of humor in the story and I loved every minute of it. If you like books with a character-driven novel then you will love this book. I'm looking forward to reading more of Alison Espach's novels. This book is highly recommended!
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. Phoebe comes to the Cornwall Inn to kill herself. When she shows up there is a wedding about to happen. The bride, Lila, tells Phoebe she cannot kill herself as it will ruin her wedding. Phoebe and Lila become great friends and Phoebe is asked to be Lila's maid of honor. There is lots of humor in the story and I loved every minute of it. If you like books with a character-driven novel then you will love this book. I'm looking forward to reading more of Alison Espach's novels. This book is highly recommended!
10EadieB
March 2025
10. Grey Wolf by Louise Penney - 421 pages **** 3/2/2025
This is the nineteenth mystery of the Armand Gamache series. As Gamache sits with his wife, Reine-Marie, in their back garden, the phone keeps ringing relentlessly. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning. The Grey wolf, a missing coat, and intruder alarm, a note for gamache reading, "This might interest you." A puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list - and then a murder. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate and the enormity of the creature becomes clear. If they fail, the devastating consequences would reach into the largest cities and smallest villages. If you like books that track down a threat, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
10. Grey Wolf by Louise Penney - 421 pages **** 3/2/2025
This is the nineteenth mystery of the Armand Gamache series. As Gamache sits with his wife, Reine-Marie, in their back garden, the phone keeps ringing relentlessly. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning. The Grey wolf, a missing coat, and intruder alarm, a note for gamache reading, "This might interest you." A puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list - and then a murder. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate and the enormity of the creature becomes clear. If they fail, the devastating consequences would reach into the largest cities and smallest villages. If you like books that track down a threat, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
11EadieB
11. Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Expect - 340 pages - **** 3/14/2025
After I read The Wedding People, I decided to read another book by Alison Espach. I had enjoyed her writing and wanted to see how she was growing as a writer. This is her 2nd book and I have her first book, The Adults, on order too. I thought The Wedding People is her best book and we can see how she is maturing into a really better writer. This book speaks about Kathy, Sally Holt's sister, and how she died. It shows how the people we love the most continue to shape our lives long after they're gone. You will need to read this book in order to find out how these characters react to her death. If you like books about devastating loss, then you will love this book. Recommended!
After I read The Wedding People, I decided to read another book by Alison Espach. I had enjoyed her writing and wanted to see how she was growing as a writer. This is her 2nd book and I have her first book, The Adults, on order too. I thought The Wedding People is her best book and we can see how she is maturing into a really better writer. This book speaks about Kathy, Sally Holt's sister, and how she died. It shows how the people we love the most continue to shape our lives long after they're gone. You will need to read this book in order to find out how these characters react to her death. If you like books about devastating loss, then you will love this book. Recommended!
12EadieB
12. The Bone Clock by Andrew James Greig - 325 pages - **** 3/17/2025
This is the first book in The Detective Corstorphine Series. Still grieving his wife’s death, Corstorphine finds himself hunting a killer who crafts elaborate deathtraps from human remains – clockwork mechanisms that deliver murder with chilling precision. When the victim’s pregnant girlfriend Margo – her face a map of bruises – shares a reporter’s notebook found among her boyfriend’s possessions, Corstorphine discovers a connection to a journalist who died at the same hanging tree twenty years earlier. But Margo guards secrets of her own, and speaking the truth in this Highland community carries a deadly price. I love a good Scottish mystery and this one did not disappoint. It had great characters and a great plot. If you like Scottish mysteries then you will love this book. The ending was a great surprise. Highly recommended.
This is the first book in The Detective Corstorphine Series. Still grieving his wife’s death, Corstorphine finds himself hunting a killer who crafts elaborate deathtraps from human remains – clockwork mechanisms that deliver murder with chilling precision. When the victim’s pregnant girlfriend Margo – her face a map of bruises – shares a reporter’s notebook found among her boyfriend’s possessions, Corstorphine discovers a connection to a journalist who died at the same hanging tree twenty years earlier. But Margo guards secrets of her own, and speaking the truth in this Highland community carries a deadly price. I love a good Scottish mystery and this one did not disappoint. It had great characters and a great plot. If you like Scottish mysteries then you will love this book. The ending was a great surprise. Highly recommended.
13EadieB
13. Bury Them Deep by James Oswald - 464 pages - **** 3/26/2025
When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate... and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman.
Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation - one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Renfrew's disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case?
McLean's investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn't the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here...
This is the 10th book in the Inspector McLean series. These books are a bit paranormal so anything can really happen in them. It isn't until the last part of the book that we learn how things turn out. If you like paranormal in your mystery books, then you will love this book. I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series. I read this with a group of old reading buddies and I really enjoyed it. Hope you will enjoy it too when you read it. Highly recommended
When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate... and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman.
Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation - one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Renfrew's disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case?
McLean's investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn't the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here...
This is the 10th book in the Inspector McLean series. These books are a bit paranormal so anything can really happen in them. It isn't until the last part of the book that we learn how things turn out. If you like paranormal in your mystery books, then you will love this book. I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series. I read this with a group of old reading buddies and I really enjoyed it. Hope you will enjoy it too when you read it. Highly recommended
14EadieB
14. Genesis by Chris Carter - 526 pages - ***** 4/16/2025
The killer has a list and the murders were horrendous. Hunter and Garcia had to quickly find the killer before he killed again. The autopsy reveals a poem left by the killer inside the body of the victim. Another body is found when a second part of the poem is found. Hunter and Garcia must catch the most disciplined killer that he has ever encountered, someone who thrives on victim’s fear. If you like clues with your murders then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
The killer has a list and the murders were horrendous. Hunter and Garcia had to quickly find the killer before he killed again. The autopsy reveals a poem left by the killer inside the body of the victim. Another body is found when a second part of the poem is found. Hunter and Garcia must catch the most disciplined killer that he has ever encountered, someone who thrives on victim’s fear. If you like clues with your murders then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
15EadieB
15. The Devil's Cut by Andrew James Greig - 320 pages - **** 5/13/2025
When a distillery owner’s body is discovered on top of a remote Scottish mountain, forensics confirm that he died of natural causes. DI Corstophine’s concerns are raised, however when the dead man’s eccentric sister receives a message, apparently from beyond the grave.
The police are dismissive until it appears the devil himself is intent on attacking other family members. Why is his daughter kept locked and sedated in her room in the baronial mansion? Who or what is stalking his son as he scatters his father’s ashes on lonely summits? And what insanity is behind the horrific attacks in their small Highland town?
DI Corstophine and his team don’t know what they’re really facing until it’s too late.
The Devil’s Cut is an exploration of what constitutes sanity and how delicate that state really is; how such a perfect emotion as love can completely destroy a man.
This is the 2nd book in the series and I enjoyed it very much. The characters were well drawn and kept me engrossed and I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended!
When a distillery owner’s body is discovered on top of a remote Scottish mountain, forensics confirm that he died of natural causes. DI Corstophine’s concerns are raised, however when the dead man’s eccentric sister receives a message, apparently from beyond the grave.
The police are dismissive until it appears the devil himself is intent on attacking other family members. Why is his daughter kept locked and sedated in her room in the baronial mansion? Who or what is stalking his son as he scatters his father’s ashes on lonely summits? And what insanity is behind the horrific attacks in their small Highland town?
DI Corstophine and his team don’t know what they’re really facing until it’s too late.
The Devil’s Cut is an exploration of what constitutes sanity and how delicate that state really is; how such a perfect emotion as love can completely destroy a man.
This is the 2nd book in the series and I enjoyed it very much. The characters were well drawn and kept me engrossed and I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended!
16EadieB
16. The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb - 416 pages - **** 4/18/2025
I had read Brendan Slocumb's first novel, The Violin Conspiracy. It was a great book. This book is different than the first book. Curtis Wilson is a cello prodigy with a drug dealer for a father. Larissa, his father's girlfriend, claws his way out of challenging circumstances to unimaginable heights in the classical music world. His father, Zippy, turns state evidence, sharing his extraordinary music with the world. This is a propulsive and moving story about sacrifice, loyalty and indomitable human spirit. If you like characters who must create new identities and draw on their unique talents, then you would love this book. Highly recommended!
I had read Brendan Slocumb's first novel, The Violin Conspiracy. It was a great book. This book is different than the first book. Curtis Wilson is a cello prodigy with a drug dealer for a father. Larissa, his father's girlfriend, claws his way out of challenging circumstances to unimaginable heights in the classical music world. His father, Zippy, turns state evidence, sharing his extraordinary music with the world. This is a propulsive and moving story about sacrifice, loyalty and indomitable human spirit. If you like characters who must create new identities and draw on their unique talents, then you would love this book. Highly recommended!
17EadieB
May 2025
17. The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins - 688 Pages **** - 5/17/25
This is the 11th book in the Sigma Force series. It starts out in the mountains of Croatia. A research lab is conducting a study of the evolution of human intelligence that involves a primate gorilla named Baako. The book continues to give us a premise of going to Atlantis which is a totally new concept that I didn't fully believe in. I did enjoy this book but had to rate it a 4.0 because of Atlantis being shown as part of the concept. If you like books about gorilla research then you will enjoy this book. Recommended!
17. The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins - 688 Pages **** - 5/17/25
This is the 11th book in the Sigma Force series. It starts out in the mountains of Croatia. A research lab is conducting a study of the evolution of human intelligence that involves a primate gorilla named Baako. The book continues to give us a premise of going to Atlantis which is a totally new concept that I didn't fully believe in. I did enjoy this book but had to rate it a 4.0 because of Atlantis being shown as part of the concept. If you like books about gorilla research then you will enjoy this book. Recommended!
18EadieB
June 2025
18. Who Buries The Dead by C. S. Harris - 386 pages - **** 8/17/25
Stanley Preston, a wealthy, socially ambitious plantation owner viciously decapitated. A link between this killing and the beheaded of King Charles, 1648. Now, Sebastian must find out who killed Stanley Preston. This is the 10th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. If you like books about people being beheaded, then you will love this series. Book is highly recommended!
18. Who Buries The Dead by C. S. Harris - 386 pages - **** 8/17/25
Stanley Preston, a wealthy, socially ambitious plantation owner viciously decapitated. A link between this killing and the beheaded of King Charles, 1648. Now, Sebastian must find out who killed Stanley Preston. This is the 10th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. If you like books about people being beheaded, then you will love this series. Book is highly recommended!
19EadieB
July 2025
19. The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths - 361 pages - **** - 7/17/25
When builders discover a human skeleton while renovating a café, they call in archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway, who is preoccupied with the threatened closure of her department and by her ever-complicated relationship with DCI Nelson. The bones turn out to be modern--the remains of Emily Pickering, a young archaeology student who went missing in 2002. Suspicion soon falls on Emily's Cambridge tutor and also on another archeology enthusiast who was part of the group gathered the weekend before she disappeared--Ruth's friend Cathbad. As they investigate, Nelson and his team uncover a tangled web of relationships within the archaeology group and look for a link between them and the café where Emily's bones were found. Then, just when the team seem to be making progress, Cathbad disappears. The trail leads Ruth to the Neolithic flint mines in Grimes Graves. The race is on, first to find Cathbad and then to exonerate him, but will Ruth and Nelson uncover the truth in time to save their friend? This is the last book in the Ruth Galloway series. Nelson and Michelle have split up and Ruth and Kate are moving to a new collage which is 10 miles from her old cottage. She will still have a view of the sea. The murder of Emily has been solved and Cathbad has been exonerated. This was one of my favorite series and now it is finally over. I'm looking forward to reading another series by Elly Griffiths - Brighton Mysteries or Harbinder Kaur.
19. The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths - 361 pages - **** - 7/17/25
When builders discover a human skeleton while renovating a café, they call in archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway, who is preoccupied with the threatened closure of her department and by her ever-complicated relationship with DCI Nelson. The bones turn out to be modern--the remains of Emily Pickering, a young archaeology student who went missing in 2002. Suspicion soon falls on Emily's Cambridge tutor and also on another archeology enthusiast who was part of the group gathered the weekend before she disappeared--Ruth's friend Cathbad. As they investigate, Nelson and his team uncover a tangled web of relationships within the archaeology group and look for a link between them and the café where Emily's bones were found. Then, just when the team seem to be making progress, Cathbad disappears. The trail leads Ruth to the Neolithic flint mines in Grimes Graves. The race is on, first to find Cathbad and then to exonerate him, but will Ruth and Nelson uncover the truth in time to save their friend? This is the last book in the Ruth Galloway series. Nelson and Michelle have split up and Ruth and Kate are moving to a new collage which is 10 miles from her old cottage. She will still have a view of the sea. The murder of Emily has been solved and Cathbad has been exonerated. This was one of my favorite series and now it is finally over. I'm looking forward to reading another series by Elly Griffiths - Brighton Mysteries or Harbinder Kaur.
20EadieB
August 2025
20. We Keep The Dead Close by Becky Cooper - 434 pgs - ***** - 8/11/25
Dive into a "tour de force of investigative reporting" (Ron Chernow): a "searching, atmospheric and ultimately entrancing" (Patrick Radden Keefe) true crime narrative of an unsolved 1969 murder at Harvard and an "exhilarating and seductive" (Ariel Levy) narrative of obsession and love for a girl who dreamt of rising among men.
We Keep the Dead Close is a memoir of mirrors, misogyny, and murder. It is at once a rumination on the violence and oppression that rules our revered institutions, a ghost story reflecting one young woman's past onto another's present, and a love story for a girl who was lost to history.
20. We Keep The Dead Close by Becky Cooper - 434 pgs - ***** - 8/11/25
Dive into a "tour de force of investigative reporting" (Ron Chernow): a "searching, atmospheric and ultimately entrancing" (Patrick Radden Keefe) true crime narrative of an unsolved 1969 murder at Harvard and an "exhilarating and seductive" (Ariel Levy) narrative of obsession and love for a girl who dreamt of rising among men.
We Keep the Dead Close is a memoir of mirrors, misogyny, and murder. It is at once a rumination on the violence and oppression that rules our revered institutions, a ghost story reflecting one young woman's past onto another's present, and a love story for a girl who was lost to history.
21EadieB
21. Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson - 308 pgs - **** - 8/13/25
Abagail Baskin never thought she would fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing change from her previous relationships.
Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the shadows one night, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.
Abagail Baskin never thought she would fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing change from her previous relationships.
Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the shadows one night, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.
22EadieB
22. The Shining Skull by Kate Ellis - 308 pgs - ****.5 - 8/20/25
As Wesley delves into the case, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, discovers a mystery of his own when he exhumes the dead from a local churchyard. A coffin is found containing one corpse too many and Neil believes it may be linked to a strange religious sect.
Wesley is still searching for the key to the abductions when, in a shocking twist, Marcus Fallbrook returns. DNA evidence confirms Marcus's identity but his recollection of his past kidnapping is hazy. Wesley hopes that, as Marcus begins to recover memories, it will lead them to a sinister criminal. But he is about to discover that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed.
As Wesley delves into the case, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, discovers a mystery of his own when he exhumes the dead from a local churchyard. A coffin is found containing one corpse too many and Neil believes it may be linked to a strange religious sect.
Wesley is still searching for the key to the abductions when, in a shocking twist, Marcus Fallbrook returns. DNA evidence confirms Marcus's identity but his recollection of his past kidnapping is hazy. Wesley hopes that, as Marcus begins to recover memories, it will lead them to a sinister criminal. But he is about to discover that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed.
23EadieB
23. Murder in the Stacks by David DeKok - 367 pgs. - ***** 8/22/25
On Nov. 28, 1969, Betsy Aardsma, a 22-year-old graduate student in English at Penn State, was stabbed to death in the stacks of Pattee Library at the university's main campus in State College. For more than forty years, her murder went unsolved, though detectives with the Pennsylvania State Police and local citizens worked tirelessly to find her killer. The mystery was eventually solved-after the death of the murderer. This book will reveal the story behind what has been a scary mystery for generations of Penn State students and explain why the Pennsylvania State Police failed to bring her killer to justice. More than a simple true crime story, the book weaves together the events, culture, and attitudes of the late 1960s, memorializing Betsy Aardsma and her time and place in history.
On Nov. 28, 1969, Betsy Aardsma, a 22-year-old graduate student in English at Penn State, was stabbed to death in the stacks of Pattee Library at the university's main campus in State College. For more than forty years, her murder went unsolved, though detectives with the Pennsylvania State Police and local citizens worked tirelessly to find her killer. The mystery was eventually solved-after the death of the murderer. This book will reveal the story behind what has been a scary mystery for generations of Penn State students and explain why the Pennsylvania State Police failed to bring her killer to justice. More than a simple true crime story, the book weaves together the events, culture, and attitudes of the late 1960s, memorializing Betsy Aardsma and her time and place in history.
25Carol420
>23 EadieB: I removed #24 as it was a duplicate post of #23. I don't know why LibrayThing does that sometimes. It's aggravating.
26EadieB
24. American Predator by Maureen Callahan - 276 pgs. - **** 8/25/25
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years--uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake--many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes's life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and to the limitations of traditional law enforcement.
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years--uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake--many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes's life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and to the limitations of traditional law enforcement.
27EadieB
25. Nine Lives by Peter Swanson - 320 pgs. - **** - 8/27/25
Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke—until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list.
First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor, and they’re located all over the country. So why are they all on the list, and who sent it?
FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next…
Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke—until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list.
First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor, and they’re located all over the country. So why are they all on the list, and who sent it?
FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next…
28EadieB
26. Blood Work by Michael Connelly - 391 pgs - ****.5 - 9/17/2025
When Graciella Rivers steps onto his boat, ex-FBI agent Terrell McCaleb has no idea he's about to come out of retirement. He's recuperating from a heart transplant and avoiding anything stressful. But when Graciella tells him the way her sister, Gloria, was murdered, Terry realizes he has no choice. Now the man with the new heart vows to take down a predator without a soul. For Gloria's killer shatters every rule that McCaleb ever learned in his years with the Bureau-as McCaleb gets no more second chances at life...and just one shot at the truth.
When Graciella Rivers steps onto his boat, ex-FBI agent Terrell McCaleb has no idea he's about to come out of retirement. He's recuperating from a heart transplant and avoiding anything stressful. But when Graciella tells him the way her sister, Gloria, was murdered, Terry realizes he has no choice. Now the man with the new heart vows to take down a predator without a soul. For Gloria's killer shatters every rule that McCaleb ever learned in his years with the Bureau-as McCaleb gets no more second chances at life...and just one shot at the truth.
29EadieB
27. My Girls by Todd Fisher - 383 pages - ****- 9/10/25
In December 2016, the world was shaken by the sudden deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, losses that occurred within twenty-four hours of each other. The stunned public turned for solace to Debbie's only remaining child, Todd Fisher, who somehow retained his grace and composure under the glare of the media spotlight as he struggled with his own overwhelming grief.
The son of "America's Sweethearts" Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Todd grew up amid the glamor, wealth, and pretense of Hollywood, but managed to remain grounded thanks to his funny, loving, no-nonsense mother and remained close to his sister through both her meteoric rise to stardom and her personal struggles. Now, Todd shares his memories of Debbie and Carrie with deeply personal stories, from his earliest years to those last unfathomable days. With thirty-two pages of never-before-seen photos and memorabilia from his family's private archives, Todd's book is a love letter to a sister and a mother, and a gift to their countless fans.
"A frequently hilarious and too often heartbreaking story of life with the women he called 'my girls'. . . . More than a Hollywood tell-all, Fisher's memoir of a family's love and endurance under trying and sometimes outrageous circumstances is a clear-eyed tribute to lives lived to the fullest." —Publishers Weekly
"Fisher's tribute to these larger-than-life creative ladies is a down-to-earth portrait of a loving mother and supportive sister
In December 2016, the world was shaken by the sudden deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, losses that occurred within twenty-four hours of each other. The stunned public turned for solace to Debbie's only remaining child, Todd Fisher, who somehow retained his grace and composure under the glare of the media spotlight as he struggled with his own overwhelming grief.
The son of "America's Sweethearts" Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Todd grew up amid the glamor, wealth, and pretense of Hollywood, but managed to remain grounded thanks to his funny, loving, no-nonsense mother and remained close to his sister through both her meteoric rise to stardom and her personal struggles. Now, Todd shares his memories of Debbie and Carrie with deeply personal stories, from his earliest years to those last unfathomable days. With thirty-two pages of never-before-seen photos and memorabilia from his family's private archives, Todd's book is a love letter to a sister and a mother, and a gift to their countless fans.
"A frequently hilarious and too often heartbreaking story of life with the women he called 'my girls'. . . . More than a Hollywood tell-all, Fisher's memoir of a family's love and endurance under trying and sometimes outrageous circumstances is a clear-eyed tribute to lives lived to the fullest." —Publishers Weekly
"Fisher's tribute to these larger-than-life creative ladies is a down-to-earth portrait of a loving mother and supportive sister
30EadieB
28. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher - 256 pages - **** - 9/4/25
When Carrie Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Before her passing, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon was indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a teenager with an all-consuming crush on her costar, Harrison Ford.
With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into one of Hollywood's most beloved stars.
When Carrie Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Before her passing, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon was indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a teenager with an all-consuming crush on her costar, Harrison Ford.
With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into one of Hollywood's most beloved stars.
31EadieB
29. The Choice by Gillian McAllister- 361 pages - **** - 9/9/25
It's the end of a night out and Joanna is walking home alone. Then she hears the sound every woman dreads: footsteps behind her, getting faster. She's sure it's him—the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. So Joanna makes a snap decision. She turns, she pushes. Her pursuer tumbles down the steps and lies motionless, facedown on the ground. Now what?
Addictive and compelling, The Choice follows the two paths Joanna's future might take, depending on the choice she makes. If she calls the police right away, she can save the man's life. Yet doing so puts her own innocence at risk, as she waits for judgment on a charge of assault and the hope that her husband and everyone she loves will stand by her. But if she runs and goes home as if nothing has happened, no one will ever know. No one saw her do it, and it's only up to Joanna to keep quiet...forever.
It's the end of a night out and Joanna is walking home alone. Then she hears the sound every woman dreads: footsteps behind her, getting faster. She's sure it's him—the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. So Joanna makes a snap decision. She turns, she pushes. Her pursuer tumbles down the steps and lies motionless, facedown on the ground. Now what?
Addictive and compelling, The Choice follows the two paths Joanna's future might take, depending on the choice she makes. If she calls the police right away, she can save the man's life. Yet doing so puts her own innocence at risk, as she waits for judgment on a charge of assault and the hope that her husband and everyone she loves will stand by her. But if she runs and goes home as if nothing has happened, no one will ever know. No one saw her do it, and it's only up to Joanna to keep quiet...forever.
32EadieB
30. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson - **** - 9/17/2025
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, A. A. Milne's The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. MacDonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, A. A. Milne's The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. MacDonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
33EadieB
31. Final Girls by Riley Sager -***- 9/20/25
Ten years ago, six friends went on vacation. One made it out alive....
In that instant, college student Quincy Carpenter became a member of a very exclusive club--a group of survivors the press dubbed "The Final Girls" Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who endured the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape the massacre at Pine Cottage. Despite the media's attempts, the three girls have never met.
Now, Quincy is doing well--maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fianc ; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life. Her mind won't let her recall the events of that night; the past is in the past...until the first Final Girl is found dead in her bathtub and the second Final Girl appears on Quincy's doorstep.
Blowing through Quincy's life like a hurricane, Sam seems intent on making her relive the trauma of her ordeal. When disturbing details about Lisa's death emerge, Quincy desperately tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies while evading both the police and bloodthirsty reporters. Quincy knows that in order to survive she has to remember what really happened at Pine Cottage.
Because the only thing worse than being a Final Girl is being a dead one.
Ten years ago, six friends went on vacation. One made it out alive....
In that instant, college student Quincy Carpenter became a member of a very exclusive club--a group of survivors the press dubbed "The Final Girls" Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who endured the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape the massacre at Pine Cottage. Despite the media's attempts, the three girls have never met.
Now, Quincy is doing well--maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fianc ; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life. Her mind won't let her recall the events of that night; the past is in the past...until the first Final Girl is found dead in her bathtub and the second Final Girl appears on Quincy's doorstep.
Blowing through Quincy's life like a hurricane, Sam seems intent on making her relive the trauma of her ordeal. When disturbing details about Lisa's death emerge, Quincy desperately tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies while evading both the police and bloodthirsty reporters. Quincy knows that in order to survive she has to remember what really happened at Pine Cottage.
Because the only thing worse than being a Final Girl is being a dead one.
34EadieB
32. The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager - *** - 446 pages - 9/21/2025
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn’t realize is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye—and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces.
Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn’t realize is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye—and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces.
Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.
35EadieB
33. True Crime by Reader’s Digest - **** - 231 pages - 9/26/2025
For more than 90 years, Reader’s Digest has been telling the amazing true stories of real-life thrillers, unsolved mysteries, and tales of cold-blooded murder—and of the regular folks caught up in these harrowing situations. Now we’ve pulled together a collection of more than two dozen of these gripping narratives, including:
A woman’s account of being taken hostage by a convenience store robber
True crime writer Ann Rule’s encounter with Ted Bundy before she knew he was a killer
The case of the man who rigged the lottery
The inside story of how Al Capone was finally arrested for tax evasion
The unlikely tale of a widower father who enlisted his teenage son and daughter to help rob banks
These modern classics are for crime aficionados and novices alike, tantalizing enough to hold your attention yet brisk enough to be your best beach or book club read. Enjoy the ride with an airplane bomber, an identity thief, and a Bonnie-and-Clyde team living on borrowed time. (Enjoy even more their comeuppance.)
For more than 90 years, Reader’s Digest has been telling the amazing true stories of real-life thrillers, unsolved mysteries, and tales of cold-blooded murder—and of the regular folks caught up in these harrowing situations. Now we’ve pulled together a collection of more than two dozen of these gripping narratives, including:
A woman’s account of being taken hostage by a convenience store robber
True crime writer Ann Rule’s encounter with Ted Bundy before she knew he was a killer
The case of the man who rigged the lottery
The inside story of how Al Capone was finally arrested for tax evasion
The unlikely tale of a widower father who enlisted his teenage son and daughter to help rob banks
These modern classics are for crime aficionados and novices alike, tantalizing enough to hold your attention yet brisk enough to be your best beach or book club read. Enjoy the ride with an airplane bomber, an identity thief, and a Bonnie-and-Clyde team living on borrowed time. (Enjoy even more their comeuppance.)
36EadieB
34. Broken Bones by Angela Marsons - ****.5 - 359 pages 10/5/2025
The murder of a young prostitute and a baby found abandoned on the same winter night signals the start of a disturbing investigation for Detective Kim Stone – one which brings her face to face with someone from her own horrific childhood.
As three more sex workers in the Black Country are murdered in quick succession, each death more violent than the last, Kim and her team realise that the initial killing was no one-off frenzied attack, but a twisted serial killer preying on the vulnerable.
At the same time, the search begins for the desperate woman who left her new-born baby at the station – but what at first looks like a tragic abandonment soon takes an even more sinister turn.
When another young woman goes missing, the two investigations bring the team into a terrifying, hidden world, and a showdown puts Kim’s life at risk as secrets from her own past come to light.
As Kim battles her own demons, can she stop the killer, before another life is lost?
The murder of a young prostitute and a baby found abandoned on the same winter night signals the start of a disturbing investigation for Detective Kim Stone – one which brings her face to face with someone from her own horrific childhood.
As three more sex workers in the Black Country are murdered in quick succession, each death more violent than the last, Kim and her team realise that the initial killing was no one-off frenzied attack, but a twisted serial killer preying on the vulnerable.
At the same time, the search begins for the desperate woman who left her new-born baby at the station – but what at first looks like a tragic abandonment soon takes an even more sinister turn.
When another young woman goes missing, the two investigations bring the team into a terrifying, hidden world, and a showdown puts Kim’s life at risk as secrets from her own past come to light.
As Kim battles her own demons, can she stop the killer, before another life is lost?
37EadieB
35. Hold Your Tongue by Deborah Masson - 408 pages - **** - 10/10/2025
In the run up to Christmas, a serial killer stalks the streets of Aberdeen . . .
A brutal murder.
A young woman's body is discovered with horrifying injuries, a recent newspaper cutting pinned to her clothing.
A detective with everything to prove.
This is her only chance to redeem herself.
A serial killer with nothing to lose.
He's waited years, and his reign of terror has only just begun . . .
Introducing the fragile but feisty DI Eve Hunter, HOLD YOUR TONGUE is your new obsession.
In the run up to Christmas, a serial killer stalks the streets of Aberdeen . . .
A brutal murder.
A young woman's body is discovered with horrifying injuries, a recent newspaper cutting pinned to her clothing.
A detective with everything to prove.
This is her only chance to redeem herself.
A serial killer with nothing to lose.
He's waited years, and his reign of terror has only just begun . . .
Introducing the fragile but feisty DI Eve Hunter, HOLD YOUR TONGUE is your new obsession.
38EadieB
36. Christine Falls by Benjamin Black - 340 pages - ****.5 - 10/14/2025
It's not the dead that seem strange to Quirke. It's the living. One night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down into the morgue where he works and finds his brother-in-law, Malachy, altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find Malachy there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, it looks an awful lot like his brother-in-law, the esteemed doctor, was in fact tampering with a corpse—and concealing the cause of death.
It turns out the body belonged to a young woman named Christine Falls. And as Quirke reluctantly presses on toward the true facts behind her death, he comes up against some insidious—and very well-guarded—secrets of Dublin's high Catholic society, among them members of his own family.
Set in Dublin and Boston in the 1950s, the first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of Booker Prize winner John Banville's fiction to a thrilling, atmospheric crime story. Quirke is a fascinating and subtly drawn hero, Christine Falls is a classic tale of suspense, and Benjamin Black's debut marks him as a true master of the form.
It's not the dead that seem strange to Quirke. It's the living. One night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down into the morgue where he works and finds his brother-in-law, Malachy, altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find Malachy there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, it looks an awful lot like his brother-in-law, the esteemed doctor, was in fact tampering with a corpse—and concealing the cause of death.
It turns out the body belonged to a young woman named Christine Falls. And as Quirke reluctantly presses on toward the true facts behind her death, he comes up against some insidious—and very well-guarded—secrets of Dublin's high Catholic society, among them members of his own family.
Set in Dublin and Boston in the 1950s, the first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of Booker Prize winner John Banville's fiction to a thrilling, atmospheric crime story. Quirke is a fascinating and subtly drawn hero, Christine Falls is a classic tale of suspense, and Benjamin Black's debut marks him as a true master of the form.
39EadieB
37. The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black - 290 pages - **** - 10/16/2025
It has been two years since the events of Christine Falls, the bestselling novel that introduced the world to an irascible Dublin pathologist named Quirke. Quirke's beloved Sarah has died, his surrogate father lies paralyzed by a stroke, and he's been sober for half a year. When a near-forgotten acquaintance asks him to cover up his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke knows he should stay clear, for the sake of his sobriety and his peace of mind. But his old itch is irresistible, and before long he is probing further into the circumstances of Deidre Hunt's death, into a web of drugs and illicit sex that may have snared his own daughter, Phoebe. With its vivid, intense evocation of 1950s Dublin, and intricate, psychologically complex storyline, The Silver Swan is "even more engrossing than last year's Christine Falls"
It has been two years since the events of Christine Falls, the bestselling novel that introduced the world to an irascible Dublin pathologist named Quirke. Quirke's beloved Sarah has died, his surrogate father lies paralyzed by a stroke, and he's been sober for half a year. When a near-forgotten acquaintance asks him to cover up his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke knows he should stay clear, for the sake of his sobriety and his peace of mind. But his old itch is irresistible, and before long he is probing further into the circumstances of Deidre Hunt's death, into a web of drugs and illicit sex that may have snared his own daughter, Phoebe. With its vivid, intense evocation of 1950s Dublin, and intricate, psychologically complex storyline, The Silver Swan is "even more engrossing than last year's Christine Falls"
40EadieB
38. How to test Negative for Stupid 211 pages - ***** - 10/21/2025
How to Test Negative for Stupid offers the Senator’s tongue-in-cheek guidebook through Washington, punctuated by his thoughts on various issues and humorous stories about life from Louisiana politics and inside the Senate.
From the mind—and mouth—of "America's Most Quotable Senator":
“Always be yourself . . . unless you suck.”
“I say this gently: This is why the aliens won’t talk to us.”
“If you trust government, you obviously failed history class.”
“I believe that our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots.”
“Always follow your heart . . . but take your brain with you.”
“I’m not going to Bubble Wrap it: The water in Washington, D.C., won’t clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek.”
“I have the right to remain silent but not the ability.”
“Common sense is illegal in Washington, D.C., I know. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“I believe that we are going to have to get some new conspiracy theories. All the old ones turned out to be true.”
How to Test Negative for Stupid offers the Senator’s tongue-in-cheek guidebook through Washington, punctuated by his thoughts on various issues and humorous stories about life from Louisiana politics and inside the Senate.
From the mind—and mouth—of "America's Most Quotable Senator":
“Always be yourself . . . unless you suck.”
“I say this gently: This is why the aliens won’t talk to us.”
“If you trust government, you obviously failed history class.”
“I believe that our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots.”
“Always follow your heart . . . but take your brain with you.”
“I’m not going to Bubble Wrap it: The water in Washington, D.C., won’t clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek.”
“I have the right to remain silent but not the ability.”
“Common sense is illegal in Washington, D.C., I know. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“I believe that we are going to have to get some new conspiracy theories. All the old ones turned out to be true.”
41EadieB
39. Under Seige by Eric Trump - ***** - 10/28/2025
From his earliest memories of growing up as part of the Trump family to pivotal roles in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, spearheading strategies to combat lawfare, and leading the Trump Organization, Eric has been deeply invested in all aspects of his family’s legacy. As one of his father’s original apprentices, Eric has always strived to build on that foundation.
As the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization since 2015, Eric has navigated the dual worlds of politics and business, growing the company, while battling unprecedented opposition from the media, Democrats, and ongoing legal challenges.
From raids on his childhood home, Mar-a-Lago, to near assassination attempts, from Russiagate to cold and corrupt court rooms, the fake news media, censorship, and character smears—this wasn’t just an attack on a president, or even his family. America itself was under siege.
In this book, Eric offers an unfiltered look at the highs and lows of life in the Trump world; how he took the reins of a multibillion-dollar empire at thirty-three years old; enlightening stories from real estate to the boardroom of The Celebrity Apprentice, and the chaos of the campaign trail.
From his earliest memories of growing up as part of the Trump family to pivotal roles in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, spearheading strategies to combat lawfare, and leading the Trump Organization, Eric has been deeply invested in all aspects of his family’s legacy. As one of his father’s original apprentices, Eric has always strived to build on that foundation.
As the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization since 2015, Eric has navigated the dual worlds of politics and business, growing the company, while battling unprecedented opposition from the media, Democrats, and ongoing legal challenges.
From raids on his childhood home, Mar-a-Lago, to near assassination attempts, from Russiagate to cold and corrupt court rooms, the fake news media, censorship, and character smears—this wasn’t just an attack on a president, or even his family. America itself was under siege.
In this book, Eric offers an unfiltered look at the highs and lows of life in the Trump world; how he took the reins of a multibillion-dollar empire at thirty-three years old; enlightening stories from real estate to the boardroom of The Celebrity Apprentice, and the chaos of the campaign trail.
42EadieB
40. The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey - 307 pages **** 11/12/2025
This was a good book. I liked it very much. Maureen and Brenda went missing and Heather was wondering what happened to them. When Maureen is found dead, Heather is worried that Brenda will turn up the same way. Follow along with Heather and find out how she solved what happened to Maureen and Brenda. If you like mystery thrillers then you will love this book. Recommended!
This was a good book. I liked it very much. Maureen and Brenda went missing and Heather was wondering what happened to them. When Maureen is found dead, Heather is worried that Brenda will turn up the same way. Follow along with Heather and find out how she solved what happened to Maureen and Brenda. If you like mystery thrillers then you will love this book. Recommended!
43EadieB
41. The Kaiser's Web by Steve Berry - 408 pages - ***** 11/20/2025
Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past sixteen years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day — April 30, 1945 — and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? The answers to these questions will determine who becomes the next Chancellor of Germany. From the mysterious Chilean lake district, to the dangerous mesas of South Africa, and finally into the secret vaults of Switzerland, former-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone discovers the truth about the fates of Hitler, Braun, and Bormann. Revelations that could not only transform Europe, but finally expose a mystery known as the Kaiser’s web.
Great reading for a group read. It was a bit longer than it needed to be but we enjoyed all the characters. Recommended!
Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past sixteen years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day — April 30, 1945 — and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? The answers to these questions will determine who becomes the next Chancellor of Germany. From the mysterious Chilean lake district, to the dangerous mesas of South Africa, and finally into the secret vaults of Switzerland, former-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone discovers the truth about the fates of Hitler, Braun, and Bormann. Revelations that could not only transform Europe, but finally expose a mystery known as the Kaiser’s web.
Great reading for a group read. It was a bit longer than it needed to be but we enjoyed all the characters. Recommended!
44EadieB
42. The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller - 324 pages - **** 11/23/2025
A spine-tingling new suspense-thriller from bestselling author Daniel G. Miller that will keep your heart racing to the last page.
A DEAD BODY. A MYSTERIOUS RED LETTER
Hazel has everything she wants.
Business is booming at her boutique private investigation firm. She's dating the man of her dreams. Even her perpetually skeptical mother seems impressed. Then the NYPD finds a beloved neighborhood priest dead along with a mysterious red letter.
Hazel investigates the murder as a favor to an old friend and discovers that the priest wasn't the only recent murder victim to receive a red letter...and one victim has ties to a psychopath from a past life that Hazel thought she had buried. One by one, the red letters continue to appear, and with every letter, another killing, each more mysterious than the last.
As Hazel closes in on the killer, the killer closes in on her, and Hazel begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the people around her. Even worse, Hazel discovers that the only way to find the truth is to open one more..This was a good read. I enjoyed the idea of the red letters and I look forward to reading another book by this author. Recommended!
A spine-tingling new suspense-thriller from bestselling author Daniel G. Miller that will keep your heart racing to the last page.
A DEAD BODY. A MYSTERIOUS RED LETTER
Hazel has everything she wants.
Business is booming at her boutique private investigation firm. She's dating the man of her dreams. Even her perpetually skeptical mother seems impressed. Then the NYPD finds a beloved neighborhood priest dead along with a mysterious red letter.
Hazel investigates the murder as a favor to an old friend and discovers that the priest wasn't the only recent murder victim to receive a red letter...and one victim has ties to a psychopath from a past life that Hazel thought she had buried. One by one, the red letters continue to appear, and with every letter, another killing, each more mysterious than the last.
As Hazel closes in on the killer, the killer closes in on her, and Hazel begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the people around her. Even worse, Hazel discovers that the only way to find the truth is to open one more..This was a good read. I enjoyed the idea of the red letters and I look forward to reading another book by this author. Recommended!
45EadieB
43. Murderland by Caroline Fraser - 398 pages *****
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest—a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.
Caroline Fraser grew up in the shadow of Ted Bundy, the most notorious serial murderer of women in American history, surrounded by his hunting grounds and mountain body dumps, in the brooding landscape of the Pacific Northwest. But in the 1970s and 80s, Bundy was just one perpetrator amid an uncanny explosion of serial rape and murder across the region. Why so many? Why so weirdly and nightmarishly gruesome? Why the senseless rise and then sudden fall of an epidemic of serial killing?
As Murderland indelibly maps the lives and careers of Bundy and his infamous peers in mayhem—the Green River Killer, the I-5 Killer, the Night Stalker, the Hillside Strangler, even Charles Manson—Fraser's Northwestern death trip begins to uncover a deeper mystery and an overlapping pattern of environmental destruction. At ground zero in Ted Bundy's Tacoma, stood one of the most poisonous lead, copper, and arsenic smelters in the world, but it was only one among many that dotted the area.
As Fraser's investigation inexorably proceeds, evidence mounts that the plumes of western smelters not only sickened and blighted millions of lives, but also warped young minds, spawning a generation of serial killers.
A propulsive nonfiction thriller, Murderland transcends true-crime voyeurism and noir mythology, taking readers on a profound quest into the dark heart of the real American berserk.
This was a very good read about serial killers in the Northwest. There are smelters in the Northwest and the killers were being poisoned by the lead and arsenic in the air. Recommended!
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest—a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.
Caroline Fraser grew up in the shadow of Ted Bundy, the most notorious serial murderer of women in American history, surrounded by his hunting grounds and mountain body dumps, in the brooding landscape of the Pacific Northwest. But in the 1970s and 80s, Bundy was just one perpetrator amid an uncanny explosion of serial rape and murder across the region. Why so many? Why so weirdly and nightmarishly gruesome? Why the senseless rise and then sudden fall of an epidemic of serial killing?
As Murderland indelibly maps the lives and careers of Bundy and his infamous peers in mayhem—the Green River Killer, the I-5 Killer, the Night Stalker, the Hillside Strangler, even Charles Manson—Fraser's Northwestern death trip begins to uncover a deeper mystery and an overlapping pattern of environmental destruction. At ground zero in Ted Bundy's Tacoma, stood one of the most poisonous lead, copper, and arsenic smelters in the world, but it was only one among many that dotted the area.
As Fraser's investigation inexorably proceeds, evidence mounts that the plumes of western smelters not only sickened and blighted millions of lives, but also warped young minds, spawning a generation of serial killers.
A propulsive nonfiction thriller, Murderland transcends true-crime voyeurism and noir mythology, taking readers on a profound quest into the dark heart of the real American berserk.
This was a very good read about serial killers in the Northwest. There are smelters in the Northwest and the killers were being poisoned by the lead and arsenic in the air. Recommended!
46EadieB
44. At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming - 320 pages
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