🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 What do you get when you mix murder mystery, science fiction, philosophy and horror? — You get this wonderful mashup, starring a death-servicing monk, Vessel Iris, who is an enigma as unforgettable as he is intriguing. When Vessel Iris is summoned to lay to rest the thousand or so…
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I had to sit and take a beat after closing this book, my head still spinning after the fabulous ending. What a terrific read. This book — a “maybe-murder” mystery— is a true slow burn, written with skill, and impeccable class, from the very first pages, all the way…
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 A twisty, engaging, and fun to read murder mystery, set in a gorgeous vacation home in the Adirondacks, and centering on a hugely dysfunctional family. Sisters Esme (horribly status conscious), Piper (anxious and obsessive) and Regina (cocky and impulsive) are all married, all mothers, and all messed up. Particularly…
🌟🌟🌟🌟 “We are a continuum of human experience, neither the worst, nor the best thing we have ever done…. We are all of it, all at once, all the time.” A moving story told in the voices of three people, this is a story about redemption, love, and rediscovery —…
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟➕ “How had she become so old, so young? … It was as if she had taken over the body of another character - and now was expected to play its part.” A book I absolutely didn’t want to end, (definitely topping the list of favorites read this year), this…
🌟🌟🌟🌟 A wonderful debut from a new author, which manages to be sweet, funny, and engaging, while also facing complex issues — grief, family obligations, less than useful coping mechanisms, and trauma — head on. Laced with a charming romance that is just beginning for long-time friends Simran and Leo,…
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This reader’s introduction to DS George Cross, in this, number four in the series featuring the detective, and his partner, DS Josie Ottey. A great new find, DS Cross is a detective unlike any other encountered. Neurodiverse (in this case, on the spectrum), Cross is detail-oriented, methodical, and totally…
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 An extremely well-executed thriller, with a unique premise and more than one puzzle to decipher, backwards! When Jen Brotherhood, a forty-something lawyer who cares too much for her clients, witnesses a horrific event, her life is flung upside down in a manner that absolutely could not be predicted. For…
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A book that couldn’t possibly be more charming, this is a read to savor, to enjoy, and to come back to, when your heart needs reminding that life is love, and all that goes with it. The disappointments, the grief, the anger, and of course, the joy and the…
🌟🌟🌟💫 A very mixed bag for this reader — first, the good (which is actually very good). This book starts with an interesting premise, featuring a detailed set of characters, each with their own POV, in a gorgeous island setting. The story is somewhat centered on a fascinating and horrifying…