Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

#MoreThanEnough #NetGalley

Have you ever wanted to be a member of a book club? How about one where the four members always buy the books but don’t read them and, rather, use the book club as the raison d’estre for regular get togethers? If that premise appeals and, if you like stories about the complex lives of women, this is one to read.

There are four women who are the main characters in these pages, but the story is really Polly’s in many ways. Readers follow her on a difficult fertility journey and get to sit in on some of her classes at the private girls’ school where she teaches English. They also get to know her in her marital and family relationships, as well as in her friendships. There is a kind of kitchen sink of issues as, along with infertility, Polly’s father has cognitive impairment and a DNA test upsets her homeostasis.

Readers also get to know a philanthropist, a therapist and a lawyer. These are Polly’s good friends, each of whom has their own issues. For example one of the women is facing a tough cancer diagnosis.

This novel is well written and engaging. It will be welcomed by those who enjoy stories about women. There is a reason why Quindlen’s books are generally must reads for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 24 February 2026

Post first published on 9 March 2026

Four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description:

from the publisher

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Quindlen is as observant and as wonderfully readable as ever, attuned to women’s lives and the nuances of their voices.”—Jennifer Weiner, The New York Times Book Review

A woman confronts the surprising results of an ancestry test and begins to question the meaning of family and friendship in this wise, tender novel teeming with life—from the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of After Annie

No one knows you like your book club.

High school English teacher Polly Goodman can talk about everything and anything with the women in her book club, which is why they’ve become her closest friends and, along with her veterinarian husband, the bedrock of her life. Her students, her fraught relationship with her mother, her struggles with IVF—Polly’s book club friends have heard about it all.

But when they give Polly an ancestry test kit as a joke, the results match her with a stranger. It is clear to Polly that this match is a mistake, but still she cannot help but comb through her family history for answers. Then, when it seems that the book club circle of four will become three, Polly learns how friendships can change your life in the most profound ways.

Written with Anna Quindlen’s trademark warmth, humor, and insight into the power of love and hope, More Than Enough explores how we find ourselves again and again through the relationships that define us.

#CozyCaseFilesVolume27 #NetGalley

It is amazing to me to think that this is the 27th installment in the Cozy Case Files. I always look forward to seeing what books are included and to getting new ideas for what to read next.

As usual, there is a generous sampling of author’s forthcoming books. There are seven here in all. I am definitely looking forward to reading Carolyn Haines’s and Jo Nichol’s latest, among others.

See the covers, learn about the stories, read excerpts and find out more about the authors. What could be better!

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

Pub date: 21 April 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2026 for free and easy sampling.

The twenty-seventh edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Carolyn Haines, Elizabeth Penney, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Cate Conte, Donna Andrews, Jo Nichols, and Vivien Chien.

Unravel a farmer’s disappearance with the help of Mississippi’s resident ghost and spirit guide in Ode to the Bones. Investigate the death of a historian during a Viking festival before it’s too late in Dungeons and Danger. Help Savvy clear her name after someone is found dead at a company luncheon Savvy catered in Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils. Uncover how a cat could be tied to a ghostly island legend and two disappearances in Purranormal Activity. Solve a murder on a horse farm while also trying to keep horses safe in Probable Caws. Prove the innocence of the cottage owner’s friend who has been accused of murder in Murder on Charity Lane. Attend a birthday party that ends with someone’s ex in a dumpster in And Then There Were Bun.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/books/review/snappy-book-quotes.html

#LastOneOut #NetGalley

Jane Harper is one of my favorite Australian mystery authors. As a recent article in the Australian Women’s Weekly noted, she, and others including Dervla McTiernan and Sally Hepworth, are having their moment. For me, a new title by Harper is always welcome. This one did not disappoint.

The setting of this book is an almost ghost town. While reading I could visualize the landscape both in nature and as a place of vanished dreams and unoccupied homes. It is, itself, a major character in the novel in my opinion.

Readers get to know Ro, her husband, her daughter and her missing (dead?) son Sam in these pages. (I won’t say more so as not to give anything away about Sam.) Knowledge about all of them comes from both the present and the past. I so wanted and dreaded finding out what happened to Sam.

I was immersed in getting to know all of those around Ro including family and her friends along with everyone who lived in their small community. Watch for example the story lines about Warren, the teens in the community and many others. Their lives have been disrupted with disregard by a mining company. What it means to hang on or lose/let go of one’s home is a dilemma vividly brought to life in these pages.

As noted, Sam’s story is important but events that affect other characters in the story also very much draw the reader’s attention. This leads to a more complex work.

Anyone who likes Australian crime fiction will, I think, enjoy this book. I recommend it most highly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 23 April 2026

Post first published on 14 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

An unforgettable small-town mystery with huge emotional resonance from International No. 1 bestselling author Jane Harper, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Chris Whitaker and Elly Griffiths.

‘Utterly brilliant . . . I could not put it down’ – Marian Keyes
‘A book to get lost in’ – Ann Cleeves
‘Heartbreaking and wonderful’ Andrea Mara
‘I was glued to it for days’ Jennie Godfrey
‘Jane Harper delivers unbearable tension’ Val McDermid

He had been here, that was clear from the marks in the dust. And he had been alone.

In a dying town, Ro Crowley waits for her son on the evening of his twenty-first birthday.

Sam never comes home. His footprints in the dust of three abandoned houses offer the only clue to his final movements. One set in. One set out.

Five long years later, Ro returns to Carralon Ridge for the annual memorial of Sam’s disappearance. The skeletal community is now an echo of itself, having fractured under the pressure of the coal mine operating on its outskirts.

But Ro still wants answers. Only a few people remain. If the truth is to be found in that town, does it lie among them?

Last One Out is a hugely atmospheric mystery from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man, The Survivors and Exiles.

From the Publisher

#DeathTimesSeven #NetGalley

I have been reading Anne Perry’s novels since the very first in her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series was published many years ago. This book’s protagonist is Charlotte and Thomas’s son, Daniel, an attorney. This is the seventh book that features him. Note for those who are new to Perry; there are also the Monk Elena Standish series.

It is so hard to know that there will be no more books by Ms. Perry as she died a couple of years ago. She was an author whose books were always must reads for me. I, and other readers, will miss her.

So, it was a bit elegiac for me to pick up Death Times Seven, knowing that it would be my last encounter in Perry’s world. That said, I dove right in.

There are several challenges for Daniel in the pages of this historical mystery. His friend and fellow lawyer, Toby, is faced with a horrific tragedy and some questions about exactly what happened to his parents and Daniel is there for him. In another story line, there is a case in the Old Bailey that Toby was defending. Daniel will become involved in that as well. Daniel’s wife Miriam will also have a role in these pages, something that fans of the series will welcome.

I recommend this book to those who already know Anne Perry’s novels. Those who are new to her books, may want to start one of the series in order. They will undoubtedly catch up and then read this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 14 April 2026

Post first published on 6 April 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Two violent crimes challenge the investigative skills of young Daniel Pitt and his wife, Miriam, in the final novel of iconic mystery writer Anne Perry’s beloved Daniel Pitt series.

“A towering achievement from a towering talent—superb!” —Jeffery Deaver, author of the Colter Shaw series

1913: Junior attorney Daniel Pitt must step in for his friend, fellow attorney Toby Kitteridge, whose parents have been brutally attacked. Toby’s mother is dead and his father, a village vicar, is barely alive. With Toby returning to the family home in rural Ipswich, struggling with grief and disbelief, Daniel remains in London to substitute for Toby and defend Peter Ward, on trial for the sexual assault and murder of a young woman.

Daniel is convinced that Ward is innocent, yet the evidence seems to prove otherwise. Eager to assist, his pathologist wife, Miriam fford Croft, offers her forensics expertise and exposes a community of fellow pathologists who may have purposefully omitted information from their autopsy reports. Despite Miriam’s involvement in the case, Daniel finds himself distracted by his desire to help Toby, who is too distraught to investigate the attack on his parents. And when the evidence points to Toby’s father as the killer of Toby’s mother, Daniel faces two of the greatest challenges of his young career: proving the innocence of both Peter Ward and Reverend Kitteridge. One mistake in London and a blameless man will hang. One mistake in Ipswich and Toby’s father will go to prison for life.

Death Times Seven, the seventh and final novel in Anne Perry’s Daniel Pitt series, was completed by Victoria Zackheim, an author and editor as well as Perry’s close friend. Rich in intrigue and courtroom drama, this engrossing novel marks a fitting finale to the career of an author widely praised as the queen of historical crime fiction.

What it’s about:

A new rural noir crime thriller from literary agent and editorial director turned author, A.M. Belsey: Six Mile Store (Deixis Press, 9th April, £6.99) is a stunning debut. Tense, atmospheric and skillfully plotted, this dark, twisty novella will hold a relentless grip over you until its final, unpredictable conclusion… 

from the publisher

SOMETHING UGLY’S WAITIN’ FOR YOU

Honey’s working weekends down at the Six Mile, trying to figure her life out. Her boyfriend’s about to leave the country, her college advisor hates her guts, her momma ain’t listening, and she’s got this cop breathing down her neck just about all the time.

She finds a friend in her new colleague Lisa, but when one of their regular customers turns up dead, everything goes sideways faster than a greased hog at the county fair . . .

The author:

A. M. Belsey was born in Arkansas but moved to the United Kingdom at age 21. She ain’t never looked back.

My thoughts:

I don’t usually read noir titles but, as I was invited to read this, I decided to give it a go. It was interesting.

This short (120 page) novella packs a big punch. The author places the reader in rural Arkansas. Right away, the book’s atmosphere becomes clear-there is a rural store along a desolate stretch of road. It is perhaps not the kind of store with which some of Belsky’s readers are familiar. It is perfectly evoked.

This is a book that oozes a sense of menace. Readers meet Honey and observe as a lot hits her. There are murder, drugs, and sexual assault. How will Honey manage? Read this one to find out.

I still was not a fan of noir when I finished this but I do admire what the author did in these pages.

Many thanks to Hannah Hargrave for inviting me to read this book.

#TheIslandSwimmer #NetGalley

Two things made me want to read this book. One was the cover; it just drew me in. The second thing was the author. I don’t live in the U.K. but I am well aware of Lorraine Kelly from magazine articles about her career. I think that this might be her first work of fiction.

So, how did she do? There were many things that I liked about this book. The settings brought Orkney to life. There was enough plot with a bit of suspense to keep a reader’s interest. Why did Evie feel that she could be exiled and blackmailed by her sister? Readers will also want to know what water and swimming mean to Evie. 

There were some very good characters. I think that readers will be drawn to Freya. She has not had an easy life but has made it to an existence that absolutely works for her.

What I liked less was that some of the difficult characters felt a bit one dimensional. There was much attention given to Cara’s misery and to Livy’s anger and acting out. These characters are Evie’s mother and sister. Do things get any better for them? Readers will have to find out for themselves by reading the book.

I look forward to seeing if Kelly writes more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 15 February 2024

#OtherPeoplesSummers #NetGalley

Sarah Morgan has become one of my favorite authors when I want a story with good characters, plot and settings. That is definitely true in her newest novel which has all of these qualities.

Characters include two women who were best friends and are now coming back together. They are Milly and Nicole. There are other characters as well from Milly and Nicole’s lives.

Milly lives and works at her family’s lakeside resort. While no specific location is given, I would visit there if I could! Milly is recently divorced and mom to a young teen.

Nicole made it big as an actress. She has not been able to secure her mother’s admiration and, as a child, adored Milly’s more open and affectionate family.

A scandal causes Nicole to reach out to Milly. From here, the story takes off. It is one about reconciliations, friendship, living a good life even when that is not a perfect life, and more.

Highly recommended to readers of women’s fiction.

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

Pub date: 06 May 2025

General fiction-women’s fiction

308 pages

From the Publisher

Other books by this author:

Note: While some of these are listed as e book bargains, that was true at the time of the original post and may no longer be true.

The Holiday Cottage

An e book bargain-The Book Club Hotel (Sarah Morgan)

Readers will want to make time for: The Summer Swap (Sarah Morgan)-an e book bargain

The Broken Afternoon is the second in Mason’s series that features two unrelated detectives who share the same last name; they are the well put together, privately educated Ray and the trailer park raised Ryan. Ray is by the book while Ryan has problems with rules and authority.

I very much enjoyed the first book in this series which was titled A Killing in November. Nonetheless, I was slow to read this novel because I knew that the subject matter was troubling.

TRIGGER WARNING: A four year old child is abducted.

This book had a number of twists that kept me guessing. The biggest takeaway was the ways in which it left me thinking about parents and children. How children are treated clearly impacts them. How parents view their responsibilities and obligations is another challenge.

Readers see how Ryan interacts with his son who clearly means the world to him. Ray’s wife is pregnant with twins. He is not fully available to Diane in a difficult pregnancy; does this presage anything about how he will parent his children? A character named Fothergill and his son Jack also come into play. In addition the reader can think of Ryan’s (abusive) father, the experience in foster care for some of the characters, the expectations that Ray’s father puts on him and more.

Do not go into this book expecting a light read. However Mason does a very good job in telling his story. While painful, I do not regret reading this one.

Have you read this book? If so, I would love to know what you thoughts.

At first, I had avoided reading this book because of a huge spoiler that deterred me.  I am so glad that I eventually decided to change my mind.  The Frank is Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect.  Think Falling Water among other places.

This historical novel takes place when FLW was a young man.  It tells the story of his first and second marriages in an involving and engaging way.  You might not always like Frank Lloyd Wright when you read this novel but I think that you will find him to be intriguing.  I very much enjoyed getting to know Mamah Borthwick Chaney, a Chicago society matron.  I will let you learn who she was for yourself.  Spoiler alert…The story has some very real tragedy but is well worth the read.

Highly recommended. 5 ***** out of 5.

A Blurb:
“It takes great courage to write a novel about historical people, and in particular to give voice to someone as mythic as Frank Lloyd Wright. This beautifully written novel about Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright’s love affair is vivid and intelligent, unsentimental and compassionate.”
——Jane Hamilton