Thursday, July 16, 2026

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

In her fifties, Jane lives with her dogs at the estate where she grew up-- Rosebery Hall in Dorset, which is falling down and needs tons of maintenance and repairs. Jane knows in her heart she must put in up for sale. Otherwise, she has lived quite a comfortable life, twice-divorced with stepchildren she adores, but never having had a job. This idleness in part is what causes her to become overly involved in reuniting a dog she finds on her land with its owner. When Jane arrives at the home in the Vale of Heath, northwest of London, she realizes she recognizes the house from her past. After dropping off the dog, Jane is unable to get the home out of her mind,, nor the disappearance of the young woman who was seen with the dog near Jane's Dorset home. It Could Have Been Her follows Jane and her stepson Dexter as they attempt to find the woman, along with the backstory and what's going on in the London house now. A great read-alike for Jewell's The Family Upstairs, Liz Nugent, and Erin Kelly.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Storm Tide by Paul Doiron

Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is witness to the deaths of Brian and Jenna Malloy in a house fire. No one is sorry about their passing, since Brian was a suspect in the disappearance of his son Liam. When another death occurs to someone who was accused of rape and murder, Mike wonders if there's a vigilante out there dispensing his own brand of justice. Things get personal when it appears that Mike himself is being targeted. Mike wonders what he did in the past for someone to come after him and his family. Mike is especially worried, since he and his wife, Stacey have just welcomed their first child. Will Mike be able to keep his family safe and uncover the culprit? Taking place over almost a year, Storm Tide is another solid entry in this long-running mystery series.

Monday, July 6, 2026

The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright by Casey Sherman

In 1914, at Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin estate, one of the servants set the home ablaze and murdered several people inside. The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright recounts the life of Frank Lloyd Wright through the lens of his romantic relationships, most notably Mamah Borthwick. Frank and Mamah were both married to other people when they started their affair, but were soulmates. They were starting to build a life together, but the tragedy at Taliesin cut their dreams short. While the book is a work of narrative non-fiction and moves quickly, I would have loved more pictures of Wright's architectural works that are mentioned and the people involved in the story. The book also heavily relies upon Frank Lloyd Wright's autobiography and newspaper articles of the time as source materials, because that's all that is available. While that's not the author's fault, the book feels slight and at times overdramatized.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

But For the Grace by Peter Grainger

In this second book of the DC Smith series, Smith is the lead investigator in the death of Joan Riley who lived at Rosemary House, a retirement community. Did Joan die by her own hand or was someone else involved? Joan was part of a quartet of friends, and another of the friends, Elspeth, died a few months ago. Could Elspeth's death be considered suspicious also? But For the Grace is another solid police procedural from author Peter Grainger.

Monday, June 15, 2026

An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger

DS Smith is asked to look into the death of Wayne Fletcher, who drowned in a local river. The case has been marked as an accidental death, but DI Reeve doesn't feel that's the case. Joined by newbie DC Chris Waters, Smith agrees with Reeve's assessment and soon finds that the case has its roots in the Yugoslav Wars. In this first book of the long running series that has just been published in the U.S., Smith writes a mystery that will appeal to fans of Peter Robinson and Ann Cleeves.

Monday, June 8, 2026

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Dolly and her teenage son Gus are spending the summer with her dad and her younger brother Christopher to help with the cleanup after a fire in her childhood home. Located in the oceanside small town of Whitfield, Rhode Island, Dolly's family has owned Brick Fish House for four generations. Dolly plans on working there, but longs to expand the business with all the baked goods she makes. In a chance encounter, she meets wealthy Stewart Whitfield, who wants her to pose as his girlfriend for the summer after his fiancee cheats on him. Dolly agrees, since Stewart will be paying her enough money to replace the roof on her father's house. Their arrangement soon becomes personal as they develop feelings for one another. In her fifth novel, Monaghan writes another great beach read with in-depth characters that you really root for.

Monday, June 1, 2026

Dog Person by Camille Pagan

Miguel is the owner of Lakeside Books, which sits in a tourist town on Lake Michigan. He hasn't been the same since his wife Amelia (a romance author) died more than a year ago. In fact, the bookstore is now in danger of closing after bestselling author Jonathan Middleton-Biggs didn't show up for an author event Lakeside was hosting. Miguel decides to try and find Jonathan so they can do a makeup event, but instead he meets Jonathan's sister Fiona and niece, who coincidentally is named Amelia Mae. Told through the eyes of Miguel's and Amelia's dog, Harold, Dog Person is a story of love, loss, and second chances.