A Twist in the River by Stig Abell

#ATwistintheRiver #NetGalley

A Twist in the River is the fourth book in Stig Abell’s series about a former London detective who now lives pretty much off the grid. I have enjoyed all four. The earlier titles are Death Under a Little Sky, Death in a Lonely Place and, The Burial Place. (the three earlier titles are reviewed on my blog).

A bit of background: a relative left Jake a property in the country. It is large enough that it has many physical features, all of which are named for fictional detective characters. For example, there are the Agatha (Christie) Wood and (Raymond) Chandler Lake and (Nero) Wolfe Orchard. Other literary and crime fiction references also appear in the book. Jake is meant to not use modern technology as a condition of having the property. He does listen to a lot of music though and readers will find a helpful playlist at the end of the story.

Now that he is in Book Four, there are many characters to get to know or to welcome back. There are Livia and her daughter, a local detective, Aletheia and Martha whom Jake knows from his former work in the police and many others.

This time, young women are being found dead in the water. What connects them? Were they murdered or could it have been accidental? (Readers can guess the answer). All is revealed in a long and satisfying good read that also has some subplots.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 23 June 2026 or 24 March 2026. The dates conflict but it is out now so the March date is probably correct.

Post first published on 11 May 2026.

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

351 pages

Note: At the time of this posting, this title is available on Kindle Unlimited for those who subscribe.

Description:

from the publisher

Former London detective Jake Jackson finds his new life in the country threatened when women start disappearing in this beautifully written and deeply immersive novel that will challenge even the most diehard mystery lover’s deductive skills.

A beautiful summer’s day

When young nurse Claire Davidson goes missing on the riverbank, the only clues left behind are her phone and shoes.

A mystery that sweeps the nation

People disappear all the time, but this case sparks an online frenzy. Amateur investigators descend on the rural idyll. Everyone has a theory. Is Claire Davidson just the story of a swim that went wrong, or could there be truth to the conspiracies?

A killer growing bolder

But when another woman is discovered dead in the river, signs point to murder. Jake Jackson, a former detective who came to the countryside searching for peace, must investigate before more lives are taken.

Editorial Reviews and author info:

from Amazon

“A leisurely whodunit wrapped in a loving homage to the bucolic life.” ⎯ Kirkus Reviews

“What a gorgeous read. It has the halo of an instant classic. This is a deep, searching novel, as preoccupied with human nature and ordinary evil as it is with detection.” – AJ Finn, #1 bestselling author of The Woman in the Window, on Death Under a Little Sky

“What a joy to spend time with these characters again! An immersive, intelligent delight with huge atmosphere and heart. My favourite new crime series.” – Lucy Foley on Death in a Lonely Place

About the Author:

Stig Abell believes that discovering a crime fiction series to enjoy is one of the great pleasures in life. His first novel, Death Under A Little Sky, introduced Jake Jackson and his attempt to get away from his former life in the beautiful area around Little Sky, followed by Death in a Lonely Place and The Burial Place. Stig is absolutely delighted that there are more on the way. Away from books, he presents the breakfast show on Times Radio, a station he helped to launch in 2020. Before that he was a regular presenter on Radio 4’s Front Row and was the editor and publisher of the Times Literary Supplement. He lives in London with his wife, three children and two independent-minded cats called Boo and Ninja (his children named them, obviously).

From the Publisher:

Banner 1
Banner 2

Meet Me in Italy by Brenda Novak

I first read a novel by this author during Covid. It offered just the kind of read that I wanted/needed at that time. I continue to enjoy Novak’s books which offer well drawn settings, interesting characters and enough plot to keep me turning the pages.

Readers follow three main characters in this story. The first is Charlotte. She married a pro basketball player who is a bit of an egotist. Should they be together? In addition to being a wife who tries to give her husband more than he may have deserved, Charlotte has published a first novel. She is suffering from writer’s block and has a due date for her second book when the story opens. Note that Charlotte will also learn something impactful early in the book. This is something with which she will need to come to terms.

Julian and Sloane are twins and long time friends of Charlotte. They each are at a crossroads. Julian has been given a medical diagnosis (not a spoiler as this comes out early in the story) and wonders if he will be able to continue as a landscape photographer. Will he and Charlotte become more than friends?

For her part, Sloane needs to make some important decisions in her marriage to Ben. One major issue requiring careful thought for Sloane is whether she wants to become a mother.

Charlotte discovers that she has a half sister in Italy. These three characters travel to Italy to meet Lilly and to discover what they want in life. The story takes off from here.

Readers will want the best for Lilly and these three. Enjoy this long novel as their lives evolve.

Spoiler below:

I do think that the complexity of adoption could have been given more importance in this book. A character discovers they were adopted and very little attention is given to this reveal and its impact. I also think that the birth mother in the story was described in some stereotypical and negative ways.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 April 2026

Post first published on 12 May 2026

Four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

398 pages

Description:

from the publisher

An Instant USA TODAY bestseller!

A sun-soaked trip to the Amalfi Coast promises a fresh start—and reveals secrets never imagined in New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s tender new novel.

In the wake of her debut novel’s breakout success—and a very painful public divorce—Charlotte Williams-Jackson has something to prove. With her second novel overdue, she’s scrambling to hold it together. But her focus is rocked when she discovers that her childhood wasn’t as it seemed—and she has a tween half-sister who’s been orphaned in Italy.

Alongside her best friend, Sloane, and Sloane’s charming brother, Julian, Charlotte ventures to the Amalfi Coast to meet her sister. She would never turn her back on family, especially since this girl doesn’t have anyone else, but between her looming deadline and her entire identity being flipped upside down, it’s a lot. Determined to rebuild her life, Charlotte must confront the relationships she’s held dear—and the loss of those she thought she had but didn’t—forcing her to question everything she understood about herself and the bonds that shape a family.

More from Brenda Novak:

  • The Summer that Changed Everything
  • The Banned Books Club
  • Tourist Season
  • The Bookstore on the Beach
  • The Messy Life of Jane Tanner

From the Publisher:

Brenda Novak
Brenda Novak
Brenda Novak

Now out-Audio Review: The Last Mandarin narrated by Eunice Wong

Description:

from the publisher

A fast-paced, all-too-real thriller featuring a mother and daughter caught in a global reckoning where family, loyalty, and power collide.

Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese American and former food blogger, has long lived in the shadow of her mother, Vivien Li— a Tiananmen Square dissident turned world-renowned human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China.

When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, Vivien and Alice are called to the White House in hopes Madame Li can interpret the Chinese intentions. But why involve Alice?

If China isn’t behind the attack, Vivien warns, someone even more dangerous is pulling the strings. Mother and daughter must join together to overcome their estrangement if they have any hope of preventing global catastrophe. From DC to Ohio to Hong Kong, they work to prevent the next attack, along the way decoding an ancient legend and uncovering a secret language invented by women, for women.

The Last Mandarin is an electrifying study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down.

In a world ruled by power, even family can be a weapon.

My thoughts:

Eunice Wong flawlessly read this novel. She narrated the story and ratcheted up the suspense so well that I hated when I was called away from listening.

This narrator embodied many voices from a number of countries as panic circled the globe. She was especially adept at moving from Chinese to English when this was essential.

I highly recommend this audio version of Penny’s newest novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this listen. All thoughts are my own.

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release date: 12 May 2026

Now out-Who is: The Last Mandarin (Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung)

Louise Penny previously wrote a thriller with Hillary Clinton. This time, she and Mellissa Fung are writing together and the result is electrifying.

The plot of this book is way too convoluted to fully describe in a review. I also would not want to give too much away as the story should be freshly discovered by the reader. Just know that there are a global set of extremely unexpected events, political machinations, a fear of what comes next that is palpable and people who are both good and bad.

The settings are very well described. Readers will feel that they are in DC, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and more as the pages turn. Readers will remember foods, tastes, smells, Xian soldiers, noodle shops, bakeries and a museum, to name just some of the locations.

This is a story of those who want to try to do what is right even when the odds are against them. Readers will watch as characters’ true selves become known for both better and worse. It can take time to know who is on what side.

In addition, however, this is a book about the power of family and other relationships and the immense importance of these bonds even when there are great challenges. There are sisters/brothers, husbands/wives, parents/children and bonds of brotherhood and shared beliefs. There are also relationships between world leaders. This aspect of the book, while perhaps not as thrilling, will linger with the readers.

I recommend this novel most highly. My admiration for Penny has increased again. Kudos as well to Fung whose fingerprint is everywhere in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 12 May 2026

Post first published on 14 March 2026.

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description: This gives away some of the plot!

from the publisher

A fast-paced, all-too-real thriller featuring a mother and daughter caught in a global reckoning where family, loyalty, and power collide.

Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese American and former food blogger, has long lived in the shadow of her mother, Vivien Li— a Tiananmen Square dissident turned world-renowned human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China.

When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, Vivien and Alice are called to the White House in hopes Madame Li can interpret the Chinese intentions. But why involve Alice?

If China isn’t behind the attack, Vivien warns, someone even more dangerous is pulling the strings. Mother and daughter must join together to overcome their estrangement if they have any hope of preventing global catastrophe. From DC to Ohio to Hong Kong, they work to prevent the next attack, along the way decoding an ancient legend and uncovering a secret language invented by women, for women.

The Last Mandarin is an electrifying study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down.

In a world ruled by power, even family can be a weapon.

From the Publisher:

Last Mandarin Louise Penny Mellissa Fung
Last Mandarin Louise Penny Mellissa Fung

Editorial reviews: This also gives away some plot details

From Kirkus Reviews:

March 1, 2026

What happens when an eminent mystery novelist collaborates with an award-winning journalist on a spy thriller? Pretty much everything you can imagine. While food blogger Alice Li is in retreat from her overbearing mother, famous Chinese dissident Vivien Li, in a restaurant bathroom, the alarm goes off. And not just the fire alarm, but every alarm in the city, the country, and around the world. Their triggering is clearly an act of terrorism, and the silencing of all those alarms, which comes as suddenly and inexplicably as their screeching, is anything but reassuring. Vivien spirits her daughter off to the White House, where Grant McAllister, the director of National Intelligence, informs Alice that her friend and fellow blogger Liam Palmer has just been fished from the Hong Kong harbor. McAllister and Alan Zhou, head of the China Mission Center, are convinced Liam knew something about those alarms, and President Fraser Pardington is determined to do whatever he can to prevent a sequel. He fails, of course, and the second act of global terrorism is even more disastrous than the first. All the president’s men and women initially believe the threat comes from the Chinese government, and Chinese President Chen Jiayang thinks the Americans might be behind it. Alice and Vivien race around the globe to track down the culprit, and what they find will knit together the fates of Alice’s family, the U.S. and China, and the history of the world as we know it. It’s just as exhausting as it sounds, but it may be the most ambitious spy novel you’ve ever read. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews (from a library site)

What makes for a: State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny