Payback by Elizabeth Rose Quinn

The third person point of view bounces around a bit between many of the main characters so every interactioni is shaded by their own knowledge that they may or may not share with the reader. The view we most often see is that of Cami. She is heading to her weekend jail, called Pay to Stay. Rather than serving a full sentence, wealthy offenders can pay $200/night to do their time on the weekends. We find out that she is taking the fall for her boyfriend and he, in turn, is funding her lifestyle, including her nights at the Pay to Stay. 

We also learn more about a woman who is taking the fall for her father who has dementia, one who is a campaign manager, a doctor's wife, one with an emotional support iguana, and a nun. Also in the jail are the guard whose brain we also see (he's someone who craves power and a prisoner who is being transported. One of them ends up dead and the rest are trying to solve the murder.

I enjoyed most of this story and it really felt like "And Then There Were None," but then it went way off the rails and I wasn't expecting that. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out May 5, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Killer Guest List by Sarah Bonner

A mysterious invitation appears, a party is being hosted at the Holne House and Cassie is ready to go. She's not sure why she and her wife were invited but figures it may be down to a previous coworker she recommended to the venue. When they arrive, they are paired up with a brother-sister team who have also played the game before. 

On the other hand, Sadie has been going to the murder mystery weekends for almost fifty years. And every year she's taken care of somebody who... needed to be taken care of. This year, she's bringing her twenty-five-year-old goddaughter, her best friend's granddaughter. They are paired up with twins, young men for whom this is their first time playing.

There is a LOT going on in this book and we keep seeing the situations as they flip back and forth between Cassie and Sadie. I knew that this was going to be a book to REALLY suspend my disbelief but the ending was a little too much, even based on what we had read so far. An interesting read for most of the book. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Boldwood Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver, Samantha Brentmoor, Robert Hatchet

Harper Starling is just trying to live her life. Sure, she's trying to cover up the crimes her elderly landlord committed. And she's trying to stop him from committing any more as he is battling dementia and forgetting which secrets he needs to keep. But she can help him keep them just fine. She just adds them onto her own. Like what she does to ensure her picturesque seaside town stays safe, even from tourists. 

Nolan Rhodes has been searching for Harper Starling, saving her for last. But what is a serial killer to do when he realizes he might be in love with his intended victim? Because she sure isn't acting how he would think she should when he leaves a dead body in her back yard. Well, part of a dead body anyway. 

I hadn't read this author before and didn't realize that the spice level on this one was pretty high. If I had read this as an ebook or hard copy, it probably woulnd't have hit as hard, but listening to it was a little too much for me. Not sure why the gore didn't hit the same way, but an overall fun read. 

Four stars

Seasons of Carnage #1

This book came out September 23, 2025

Followed by Harvest Season

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Shining #1 The Shining Stephen King , Campbell Scott (Narrator)

I read this most years around Halloween.  Absolutely spooks me every time.

The story of a recovering alcoholic who takes his family up to a secluded mountain hotel where he'll stay as the winter caretaker. However, his five-year-old son, Danny, is special. He has "The Shining," a mystical second-sight that allows him to sense the thoughts of those around him. And it's waking up the hotel....

Four and a half stars

This book came out January 28, 1977

The Shining #1

Followed by Doctor Sleep

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, Will Patton (Narrator)

T

he long-anticipated follow-up to "The Shining" has a now grown-up Danny Torrance fighting demons, both literal and physical. Still struggling with the events from the first book as well as his "Shining," we find out that Danny has inherited his father's alcoholism and upped the ante with a drug problem.

He's finally landed in a place where he can get clean when a message appears in his brain, "Abra." There's no follow-up for a long time. Until Abra, a child whose talent is even greater than Danny's own, reaches out to him for help. There is a group, the True Knot, that has extended their own lives by feeding off the "steam" of children like Abra. And now that they know that she exists, a child with more shining than they've ever seen, they're coming after her full bore.
I quite enjoyed this book. It was a little light (not much depth) but it's a book for fun, did it really need to be very deep? I wish we could have seen more about the former lives of The True Knot folks (especially Rose) but since the book was so long already, I can see why that didn't happen.

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 24, 2013

The Shining #2

Follows The Shining

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

I picked this book up based on the description of it being a thriller/comedy. It was both but there was more comedy than thriller. I very much made sure to read this during the day but it wasn't as gory as I thought it was going to be. There were some bits toward the end but it was so far past the suspension of disbelief it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. 

Vesper Wright is estranged from her family. She has been for 6 years. But now an invitation has shown up on her front door. One for her cousin's wedding... to the boy Vesper had thought she was going to marry. So Vesper goes back home. And things unravel from there.

A fun romp but not very deep. There were definitely some gore aspects but not as many as I was expecting from other reviews. The whole story wasn't very deep, neither was the character development but it was fun. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 19, 2023

Book I borrowed from the library

Opinions are my own

Murder Kingdom by Fred Van Lente

An interesting storyline. Things are going crazy in a thinly-veiled ripoff of Disney. Characters are going crazy. People are dying. It's going to be up to Tanith to try and survive as well as save her friends.

The artistic style was interesting. I didn't always realize that characters were the same people as the expressions/look wasn't particularly consistent. Interesting premise. 

Three stars

This book came out May 20th, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

The setting is familiar. Its an exclusive invite to a private island by a reclusive author. All of the invitees are authors. And the first person narrators are all authors. Of course, they all have secrets. Even the woman who helped plan the event and is now overseeing it.
The first night, a riddle is served. Early the next morning, every camera goes out and one of the authors disappears. And it devolves from there. Who is the mysterious person who invited them all? Who will make it out alive?
Pretty standard thriller, interesting ending.

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 11, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani

An homage to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," this book covers a group of seven friends twelve years after the disappearance of their eighth. In university, they were a group who created and enacted murder mystery dinners. Most of them had money so they could go over the top. But one Christmas, the murder became a little too real. At least, most of them think so. They're not entirely sure since a body never turned up. Now, one of their team is trying to get the band back together. 

Charley always felt left out since she was "the poor one," the one accused of stealing a necklace. She's not sure that she wants to go but she's offered money. And since becoming an actress hasn't exactly worked out for her, she's willing to go. This money will let her break up with her boyfriend and get out. So, now she's on her way to Scotland. And we follow Charley's third person point of view through the present day with third person omniscient for the flash backs. 

The story was a little basic and the ending came a bit out of nowhere but, once I got into it, I ran through the ending. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 7, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopa

Opinions are my own

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell with narrators Kristin Atherton, Louise Brealey, and more

Josie is turning 45. She's out to dinner with her husband but her eye is caught by another group. It looks like someone else is celebrating their birthday on the same day. When they run into each other in the bathroom, it turns out that, not only do Alix and Josie share a birthday, they are turning the same age. Josie does a little exploring and discovers that Alix is a moderately successful podcaster. Her series on successful women has just wrapped up and Josie has an idea. What about a series about women who are in the process of making their lives better? Of course, Josie would make a perfect focus. 

When Alix agrees, it sets off a series of events that leads to both women's lives imploding.

It was an interesting read but I never felt fully invested in the characters so I never got fully immersed in the book.

Three stars

This book came out July 20, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

Thrillers aren't my favorite but the blurb for this book intrigued me. I didn't realize it was part of a series which may have given me more pause. It was an okay book and people who read the genre more often may enjoy it more. There was a little too much going on in this story for me to fully enjoy it and my suspension of disbelief was burdened because of that.

Ruby used to be one of the wealthy elite but now is a nanny and maid for the same. One night, she witnesses a murder. Will this help catapult her back into the level she wants to be or will it lead to more death? 

Three stars

This book came out March 25, 2024

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Flashpoint by Catherine Coulter

Characters from previous books return in this one. The first is Lady Elizabeth Palmer. She was caught in a plot that would have killed any number of people. Since then, she's been trying to live a simple life. But now, someone is trying to kill her. Could it be linked to the man who pulled her into his web last year?

The second character is Autumn. She's twelve and is watching a younger boy for the summer while his father goes on a belated honeymoon with his new, young wife. But while Tash's father is away, Autumn discovers that she and Tash share some abilities. And his are warning him that his father is in danger.

I still read this series even though it's a little off the wall for me.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 2, 2024

FBI Thriller #27

Follows Reckoning

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Dickie Bow has been out of the game for awhile. But when he sees a familiar face, he follows it off a train and onto a bus. But Dickie doesn't make it off the bus. And Jackson Lamb wonders why. Yes, Dickie was an alcoholic and ate terribly but something just feels off. And his suspicion is confirmed by the one word that Dickie has left typed in his phones draft messages.
Suddenly, the members of the Slough House are off and running. But is someone talking out of school and giving information to those outside the unit? And will all of the slow horses be alive at the end of this book?

Three stars
This book came out 

Slough House #2

Follows Slow Horses

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

I heard about this one of my podcasts. For the first fifty pages, I wondered why I kept reading it. Then, I was hooked.
What do they do with spies that aren’t good enough for the field but aren’t bad enough to be fired? They’re sent to the Slough House. And that’s who we’re following, the occupants known as the Slow Horses. There are the screw ups, the alcoholics, and the people who no one likes. But one of them obviously isn’t as slow as everyone believes because they’re all about to be plunged into a mystery. Parallel stories tell us about a young British boy of Pakistani descent who’s been kidnapped. The kidnappers have promised to cut off his head on a live internet feed. Then there’s the betrayal in Slough House. But who’s done the betraying and why is one agent dead and another one near to it?

Four stars

This book came out June 1, 2010

Slough House #1

Followed by Dead Lions

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

Adrienne is down to her last twenty dollars when she arrives at Ashburn House. She doesn't remember much about her Aunt Eleanor and she's not sure why the house was left to her. What she does have is hazy memories of fleeing the house in the arms of her mother when Adrienne was young. 

But, her mother is now dead and Adrienne is in reduced circumstances so a free place to stay is a godsend. But the house is eerie. Set apart from the rest of the village and old, Adrienne is trepidatious about staying in this place. Especially when she realizes there are no mirrors. And there are words etched into tables, walls, and even her aunt's headboard that, without a context, are confusing.

I really enjoyed this book which was odd because I'm not much for thrillers but this one was a really fast read and I was almost halfway through when I realized this wasn't a straight-up mystery.

Four stars
This book came out July 20, 2016

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

A number of people are gathered at the Manor in Tome. Francesca Meadows has refitted her family mansion to be a fancy health spa and this is the opening weekend. But there seem to be a number of things going wrong. Not with her new husband of course; she and Owen Dacre are just perfect. Aren't they? But there are little cracks starting to show everywhere. Not everyone is who they seem to be and the past may be coming back to haunt her.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 18, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Hike by Lucy Clarke

Four friends go on a vacation together every year. This year, it will be an end of season hike in Norway. Each going for a different reason. Liz, the one with the seemingly picture perfect marriage, is burnt out and this trip marks the beginning of her and her husband's trial separation. Helena, who revels in the life of a single woman, fears that she might be pregnant. Joni is a rock star who is losing control. Maggie ... looks like a young woman who disappeared from the town where their hike is to begin. 

The hike starts well enough but the second day, they lose the path. Then secrets start to come out and their complicated relationships start to become even more so. And that's before they find the caves that will ensure that not all of them are leaving the mountain alive.

If you like Clarke's books, this book will hit the spot. I didn't always see all of the voices as distinct so it did get complicated to listen to but was overall an okay book.

Three stars

This book came out April 27, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

I read this book in October which is usually the time of year I try to branch out into thrillers (not usually a genre I pick up naturally) and this book certainly fit the bill. 

This is something of a locked room mystery as five aspiring writers are invited to a famously reclusive author's home. There is no cell reception, no WiFi, and the closest building is a nunnery miles away. Of course, as they approach, there is a snowstorm.

But who cares? Though our first person narrator, Alex, is somewhat thrown off, some of that might be due to the fact that her former best friend, Wren, who has also been invited. Something happened between the two of them; actually, two somethings that caused their friendship to fracture. That is unpacked as they spend time at Roza Valo's house. 

This is not the spa-type of retreat though. Roza's methods for helping these writers to write are... unorthodox. If you've read "Nine Perfect Strangers," you may be able to draw some comparisons between her and Masha in terms of pushing boundaries. Like that book, some of the characters are not who they seem and that may cause some further issues.    

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 21, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman

I saw that a friend of mine had read this books and reviewed it highly so I thought I'd give it a chance. It didn't capture my attention as much as it did her but it was an interesting book.

If you get into the Legacy Club, you are pretty much guaranteed that you are set for the rest of life. This year, there are three young people whose entree is pretty much ensured, Bernie, Isobel, and Skylar. They each of something which might prevent them from getting in but all three also want to make it through the week of hazing to capture a seat in the club. Who or what could possibly stop them? Not even Tori, the nominee from some no-known family in Queens. Will all four make it to the end of the week and be able to celebrate at the Legacy ball?

Three stars

This book came out July 25, 2023

Ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Ann Stillwell is delighted to leave Washington, leave behind her grieving mother and the memories of her father. When she gets to New York however, all of her dreams are dashed. The man she was supposed to work under has left the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the summer. Luckily, even as her heart is falling from the news she's just gotten from the Director of Human Resources, hope springs. Patrick Roland, the curator at The Cloisters, needs help and, well, Ann is available. While slightly disappointed that the job isn't going to be what she expected, at least she has a job.

It's this job that introduces her to not only Patrick but Rachel and Leo as well as a handful of other people but those are the two that are going to affect her the most deeply as she is dragged into theories of 15th-century fortune telling. Could a deck of cards really tell the future? Especially a particular set of cards? And what does it have to do with her father's work? And her mentor's?

When their work leads to someone dying, Ann suddenly has to decide what she believes in and how much fate really does play a hand in our lives. 

I am not usually a reader of darker books like this but around the Halloween season, I often turn towards these and this was a perfect book for this time of year. 

Four stars

This book comes out November 1, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own