Alma Katsu writes critically acclaimed and deeply creepy horror, so the news that she was switching to espionage for her latest title came as a surprise – until I discovered that Katsu spent thirty five years in the intelligence community. Her inside knowledge of the CIA and other “alphabet agencies” gives every page of Red…
While it is a truth universally acknowledged that I am a scaredy cat, I occasionally read books MOST people would call horror, and others (me) would call Exceedingly Creepy, just for a change of pace. It's February, after all, and if ever there was a time to mix things up, it's now, when the fresh…
Nobody ever notices the maid — until something goes wrong. That’s the premise of The Maid, Nita Prose’s fresh and vastly entertaining debut mystery featuring Molly Gray, an unconventional and often-overlooked housekeeper at a posh big-city hotel whose unique perspective makes her uniquely suited to solve a murder. Adrift and lonely after the death of…
Climate fiction -- stories dealing with the repercussions of climate change -- has been increasingly popular in recent years. From award-winning literary fiction to young adult thrillers, the fallout from global warming and changing weather patterns has given authors plenty to work with. Naturally, science fiction is a natural fit for these types of books,…
Generally speaking, I like three things in my crime fiction: a twisty puzzle, an engaging protagonist, and a distinctive style. It's the trifecta of crime writing, and I was delighted to discover that Rachel Howzell Hall’s latest thriller, THESE TOXIC THINGS succeeds on all counts. Known for her lauded Detective Lou Norton mysteries, Hall's…
The world is…rather a lot right now, isn’t it? Loud and tense and busy and hot and if you’re anything like me, you need a break. Not a big one. Just a little one. A chance to catch your breath, to escape somewhere quiet, even if only for a bit. A Psalm for the Wild-Built,…
Reality shows are not, as they say, my cup of tea. Competition shows particularly are particularly stressful. I always feel so badly for the eliminated contestants, and if I wanted to feel terrible while watching TV, I would turn on the news. Inevitably, this is the point where someone recommends I watch The Great British…
You can be forgiven for thinking Firekeeper's Daughter, the debut novel from Ojibwe author Angeline Boulley, is a fantasy novel. The cover is lush and symbol-laden, and the elemental title fits in perfectly with today's young adult titles. But in fact, Firekeeper's Daughter is a thriller rooted in the real world, a coming-of-age story, and…
May books are special creatures. In May, I like a quirky book. A cheerful book. A book that can transport me almost instantly, because May, in my experience, is jammed full of events, activities, and to-dos that frankly, interrupt my reading to a ridiculous degree. But take heart! Mia P. Manansala’s debut mystery, ARSENIC AND…
Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur, a cranky, tenacious British detective with a chip on her shoulder and a soft spot for her elderly, overbearing parents, debuted stateside in Elly Griffith's 2019 novel, THE STRANGER DIARIES. The book was a staff and patron favorite, so I was delighted when Harbinder returned this year in THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS,…
