We Dig Ammonites: Fact, Folklore, and History

 

We Dig Ammonites is a no-nonsense guide curated and written by paleontology field associate for the American Museum of Natural History, Jodi Summers. Due out 23rd Dec 2025 from the Columbia University Press, it's  320 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

This is both a fascinating natural history monograph as well as a guide built for collectors and rockhounds with tips to sourcing, legalities of shipping and collecting, and includes a field manual. It's full of clear photos and an impressive amount of origin/location information for specific species. There -is- a fair amount of paleohistory and background biology/nomenclature, but the true focus of the book is where to find, how to acquire, and how to learn about and understand ammonites. Admittedly niche, but really cool. 

The book's sections are arranged logically and accessibly: background history, nomenclature, cultural history, impact and use for dating -other- fossils, general fossil paleohistory, locations in the modern world, physiology & morphology of Ammonoidea, typical diet & predators, some cultural background info, and much more. The author is very knowledgeable and her writing style is inclusive and friendly. Despite being a very esoteric hobby, the language is (-mostly-) layman accessible and fun to read. 

The photography throughout is very clear. Although it's not rigorously annotated, the author/publisher have included a comprehensive bibliography arranged by chapter, which will provide many hours of further reading and learning. Nomenclature throughout is correct at the time of publication and to international zoological standards.

Four stars. It would make a superlative choice for public or post-secondary library acquisition, home use, and professional reference. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

The Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles

 

The Pickled City is an engaging and well written monograph on the intersection and history of pickles and pickling in New York City by Paul Van Ravenstein & Monique Mulder. Due out 31st March 2026 from  Princeton Architectural Press, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

This is one for the foodies and cultural history fans. Pickling is one of the oldest forms for preserving a harvest and human history has been tied inextricably to salting and pickling for thousands of years. The authors have presented a fascinating glimpse into the history of pickles in the New World, especially commercially and in ethnic populations in New York. 

It's illustrated throughout with hundreds of photos, illustrations, facsimile records, and contemporary graphics/ads. Highlighted text-box captions are easy to understand. 

Four and a half stars. It's decidedly niche, but really fun and chock full of interesting party trivia (How on Earth did you know *that*??!!). It would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or gift giving to the foodies on the gift list.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

Mince Pies and Murder - Morwenna Mutton Mystery #4

 

Mince Pies and Murder is the fourth Morwenna Mutton cozy by J.R. Leigh. Released 23rd Aug 2025 by Boldwood Books, it's 354 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.

This is a nice, well written cozy set in Cornwall, featuring an eccentric 60something amateur sleuth and her friends and family. It's a returning ensemble cast with assists from local police constable Sally, Morwenna's ex husband, her daughter and granddaughter, and eccentric locals. Although it's the 4th book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone, with the codicil that the backstory and relationships have developed over the course of the previous books and there will be some spoilers if read out of order.  

The language is PG rated for some uses of profanity, there are no graphic descriptions on-page, and the resolution, and denouement are mostly satisfying, if heavily foreshadowed. The writing is competent and the dialogue not clunky or awkward.

There are currently 4 books in the series (with a 5th book due out in 3rd quarter 2026). It would make a good choice for a binge or buddy read. Although reviewers have compared it to Osman's Thursday Murder Club, it compares better (and more favorably) to Peter Boland's Charity Shop Mysteries. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 39 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Jilly Bond. She has a well modulated voice and does a great job of often rapid fire dialogue and a range of ages and regional accents. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. 

Four stars. It would be a good choice for readers who enjoy light amateur sleuth cozies featuring eccentric mature female sleuths. Morwenna is charming and refreshingly intelligent.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Big Bad Wool - Sheep Detective Story #2

 

Big Bad Wool is an offbeat mystery featuring anthropomorphic animal "sleuths" alongside humans written by Leonie Swann. Originally released in German in 2009, this English language translation was released by Soho Press on their Soho Crime imprint. It's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in late 2nd quarter 2026. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. For readers who are familiar with the author's Agnes Sharp books, this book is in much the same vein. 

Definitely whimsical and at the same time brooding and off-kilter, this is an atmospheric mystery told in parallel third person perspective from both the sheep and human characters. The human dialogue is related in sheep-perspective and none of them are particularly intellectually gifted (even for sheep). The spend most of the book trying to avoid the vet and the shadowy malign "shapeshifter" who's stalking the locals. 

The translation work by Amy Bojang is seamless and works perfectly, without clunky or awkward scansion or diction.  

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours 24 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Caroline Lennon. She has a well modulated light alto voice and does a great job of the -massive- cast of characters, including sheep, goats, and humans (of a range of accents from Irish to French). It's a huge cast of characters and she does a good job of delineating them. The print formats include a dramatis personae list, and it's probably worth accessing. 

Although it's the second book, it works well enough as a standalone, and it's not necessary to have read them in order to figure out what's going on. It's an odd book, and would make a good choice for public library acquisition, home library, or a buddy read.  

Three and a half stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

The Essential Guide to Bulbs: Grow a Bounty of Beautiful Bulbs in Gardens and Containers

 

The Essential Guide to Bulbs is a beautifully photographed tutorial guide to selecting and using flowering bulbs by gardening expert Jenny Rose Carey. Released 14th Oct 2025 by Hachette on their Timber Press imprint, it's 348 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

This is a huge, encyclopedic, and very well arranged primer on bulbs and how to grow and deploy them successfully in a wide variety of situations, containers, beds, and naturalized. The author's writing voice is unforced and layman accessible, but where the book really shines is the photography. It's as much an inspiration book to pore over during garden planning as it is theory/tutorial.

Correct binomial (Latin) nomenclature is used throughout, alongside common names where applicable. Specific varieties are named in the text. It's unusual to find gardening books which have something for every level of expertise, and this one does deliver, from the beginner trying to select some daffodils for a spring container by an entryway to the professional gardener selecting for large installations or customers. 

Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, smallholders, gardening/community garden/allotment libraries, and similar uses.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

Voices of the Elysian Fields: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery

 

Voices of the Elysian Fields is a gritty procedural featuring medical examiner Dr. Jonathan Gray written by Michael Rigg. Released 8th April 2025 by Level Best Books, it's 344 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

Moody with palpable tension and a shocking amount of action driven plot (especially considering the main character is a physician), Dr. Gray is engaging and sympathetic. He's intelligent and honest and fighting against a corrupt and powerful system. The book is set in New Orleans and the setting is as much a character as any of the living characters in the story. The author does an excellent job of bringing the city and its culture to life. 

It's emphatically not a cozy book and there are vivid descriptions (including medical terminology) of violence and corruption in government agencies and employees. The plot is full of twists and manages to be genuinely surprising in places. The denouement and resolution are mostly satisfying and self-contained in this volume.

Three and a half stars. It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition. Recommended for fans of medical procedurals, and especially for fans of NOLA.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

All My Bones - Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries #2

 

All My Bones is the second Old Juniper Bookstore cozy shopfront mystery by P.J. Nelson. Due out 2nd Dec 2025 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in 4th quarter 2026. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

Another small town bookstore cozy, but engaging and well constructed, with the requisite eccentric secondary characters, and an indelible Southern USA (Georgia) flavor. It's a trifle longer than the average small town shopfront cozy, and consequently the pacing is a trifle uneven and slow in places. That being said, the author manages to put all the working parts in the right places, and the mystery, denouement, and resolution are fair play and satisfying. Some of the motivations for the crimes in the book are over the top and unrealistic, but not completely out of bounds for the genre. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 49 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Hallie Bee Bard. She has a well modulated, slightly breathy alto, and for this read, a syrupy deep south Georgian American accent. There are some points where the more rapid dialogue exchanges get a bit confused as far as character delineation goes, but it's not egregious, and it is easy enough to tell them apart that it never becomes confusing. 

Three and a half stars. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or a buddy read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Flora: The Secret Language of Plants in Art

 

Flora is a well written and fascinating monograph deep dive into floral symbolism in classical art by Dr. Hope Werness. Released 28th Oct 2025 by Hachette on their Timber Press imprint, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover format. 

Beautifully illustrated throughout, the intelligently written (layman accessible) text is peppered with historical art, illustrations, facsimiles, and records. The information is arranged thematically: trees, flowers, fruits vegetables & seasonings, and grains grasses & vines. The author writes engagingly and in simple precise language which isn't dry or overly academic. 

The author is very well versed in her subject matter and writes accurately and "shows her work" in cultural and historical references, drawing subtle but logical conclusions from the material. The chapter notes are likely worth the price of the book alone and will provide keen readers with many hours of further reading and exploration. She must be a heck of a professor and her students and colleagues are lucky to move in the same orbits. Very interesting info, very well presented. 

It's admittedly a niche subject, but fascinating nonetheless. 

Five stars, it would be a superlative choice for public or post-secondary school library acquisition, home library, gardening / art interested discussion groups, or gift giving. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

A Wonderful Christmas Crime

 

A Wonderful Christmas Crime is the 6th Christmas Tree Farm cozy village mystery by Jacqueline Frost. Released 21st Oct 2025 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.  It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very light cozy; Christmas themed comfort reading. Lots of things are happening in Mistletoe, Maine, and not all of them are wonderful. Theft and murder are a definite damper on holiday festivities, and again, right on schedule, MC Holly White's in the middle of things. Apparently something about rural Maine brings out the crime in people. Like Jessica Fletcher, the crime statistics are off-the-charts. Nevertheless, for fans of fluffy crime novels, this one is a nice addition and fits well with the series. As always, the village is full of harmlessly eccentric oddball secondary characters, and the resolution and denouement push the boundaries of the suspension of disbelief, but overall it's fair-play and enjoyable.  

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 16 minutes and is read by Allyson Ryan. She has a professionally trained neutral American accent and although some of the "Mainer" and "Swedish" accents aren't 100%, it's absolutely not intrusive and doesn't detract from the read. She does a good job with a number of voices of both sexes and a range of ages from very young to elderly. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars. It's a long ongoing series and recommended for public library acquisition, home use, or a long(ish) binge/buddy read. Although this is book 6, it works well enough as a standalone, with the understanding that the returning ensemble cast has a long back-history and there will be spoilers for earlier books if read out of order. This is a -very- light cozy; language and content are clean, and violence occurs off-page.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

 

Strange Ways To Die in the Tudor Ages

 

Strange Ways To Die in the Tudor Ages is a well written and engaging look at life and life expectancies in Tudor England by Emily Bush and Carrie Ingram-Gettins. Released 31st Aug 2025 by Pen & Sword History, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. Worldwide release outside the UK is set for 30th Jan 2026. 

Sometimes irreverent, there's a solid historical basis for the information contained and the authors manage to bridge the gap between dark humor and pathos quite well. They cover politically derived causes (Henry VIII was a dangerous guy to cross as were his offspring), natural causes (disease, pathogens, bad food/environmental causes), floods, starvation, accidents (so many unpleasant (and dumb) ways to die), wars, and more or less what readers would expect from the title and description.

The authors are not academics and the book is not heavily annotated or referenced. This is definitely aimed at fans of the period who aren't academics themselves (at least not academically inclined -in the subject-). Professional historians will likely miss the rigor of more academic based research, peer review, annotations, or rigorous bibliographic info. It is lightly humorous and quite amusing, so gains some in that respect.

Four stars. This is an illuminating and interesting book of history and never dryly academic or boring. This would be a good selection for public library acquisition, home library, and for fans of history, culture, and the macabre. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting: 19 Easy, Beautiful Patterns for a Mindful Experience (Landauer) Knit Your Way to Peace of Mind

 

Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting is an accessible beginner friendly collection of projects by Barbara Breen which are especially aimed at repetitive mindfulness and relaxing repetition. Due out 25th Nov 2025 by Fox Chapel on their Landauer imprint, it's 96 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.  It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

The patterns are all repetitive and rhythmic. There are scarves, hats, and blankets, but there are also some decor and gifts such as a placemat and napkin ring set. Colors are generally restful and the patterns are simple enough to let the yarns shine. Most have an emphasis on higher end, luxury yarns with good tactile characteristics so the emphasis is on process, repetition, and bliss. 

The photography throughout is very clear and high detail. There's a fair bit of philosophy included about process and intention, but it's not heavy handed. The author/editors do include a how-to knitting tutorial, so even a brand new beginner should be able to complete projects without too much outside help (though knitting buddies are always desirable to have around of course).

Four and a half stars. Simple projects, but really pretty and useful; classic.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.    

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 18

 

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 18: New Books to Make Your Heart Race includes chapter excerpts from six new Minotaur books. Released 18th Nov 2025 from Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 209 pages and is available (possibly for a limited time) as a free download in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

These six books from Minotaur are all top shelf fiction. For anyone (and let's face it, that's almost all of us) who has ever wandered around and browsed in a book store or library to read a few pages of random books and see if we are drawn in, this sampler provides the same experience without having to drive anywhere. The books all have upcoming release dates from January - April 2026, and it's nice to get a sneak peek before release. 

All of the books are very well written - thriller, suspense, and mystery. Highly recommended to readers planning their 2026 TBR schedules.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Hell For the Holidays - 24/7 Demon Mart Christmas Special #1

 

Hell For the Holidays is a full on high-octane campy horror tinged urban fantasy novella by D.M. Guay. Released 20th Dec 2019, it's 134 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. Book 2 is also currently available on KU, and the other installments (and there are a LOT of them) are available online (Smashwords, from the author, etc). 

The author does a great job combining camp, light horror, hellish family holidays, REAL hell(ish) skullduggery, demons, very alcoholic eggnog, a pervy sentient cockroach, and an angel who manifests as a magic-8-ball. It's very silly, not at all serious, and the author doesn't miss a single double entendre, cheap pun, or holiday cliché start to finish. Although there are a whole crop of books in the series, they all work pretty well as standalone reads.

Four and a half stars. It's -precisely- as it purports to be, no hidden agendas, not even a wink at serious literature or highbrow philosophy. It would be a solid palette cleanser between more serious works, or for readers who just want to snort out loud at drunk cockroach dialogue. 

Secret Sauce: 200 Copycat Recipes to Re-Create Your Favorite Restaurant Sauces, Dips, and Dressings

 

Secret Sauce is an up to the minute collection of copycat recipes for restaurant sauces, dips, and dressings developed and curated by Kelly Jaggers. Released 11th Nov 2025 by Simon & Schuster on their Adams Media imprint it's 272 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The layout is logical and easy to follow. The introduction covers the basic tools, supplies, appliances, and pantry lists. The following chapters include the recipes arranged roughly by category: spicy, chicken dipping, burger & sandwich, seafood, salad dressing, sides, toppings, hearty dips, and sides for dipping.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in imperial (American) measurements only.  There's a conversion chart for metric measures in the appendices. The nutritional information is not included.  Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in sidebars with the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple and should be well within the abilities of the average reader.

The photography is not abundant; most of the recipes are not illustrated, but the photographs which are included are clear and well done.

This is a huge collection of recipes and even allowing for the fact that some of them are very similar to others in the same category, this will keep fast food/restaurant lovers going for ages. The recipes really are copycats and very near the "real" restaurant sauces and sides they are copying. 

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes  

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library - Mrs. Christie #1

 

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library is the first book in a new library cozy mystery series by Amanda Chapman. Released 26th Aug 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in paperback, library binding, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a fun bookish/library cozy with a strong (unexplained) paranormal element, or really more magical realism. Agatha's back from the afterlife, and she's inhabiting a library in the Van Dyne mansion in Manhattan which is made to replicate her (Christie's) beloved library at Greenway House. She shows up and tells conservator Tori Van Dyne that she's come back to help solve a mystery which hasn't happened yet.

The author does a good job of engineering a twisty plot full of a plethora of characters, scattering red herrings around, tossing in some fair-play clues, and dropping lots (and LOTS) of canonical Christie quotes and other Golden Age mystery authors to search out later. It's relentlessly whimsical and a bit campy in places, there's also a romance subplot, some outlandish crimes, and a gather-the-suspects-in-the-library big reveal. 

It's eminently readable, if honestly a bit over the top and precious in places. 

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or a buddy read. Currently no available publisher info available for book 2. The denouement and resolution are self-contained in this volume; no cliffhangers. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

The Story That Wouldn't Die - Jolene Garcia Mysteries #2

 

The Story That Wouldn't Die is the second mystery by Christina Estes to feature investigative reporter Jolene Garcia. Released 19th Aug 2025 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. 

The author has a background in journalism, so the story does have a lot of verisimilitude including the backbiting, self-serving, egotistical characters in the average newsroom along with the vicious competition between rival reporters chasing a hot story for an exclusive. As such, perhaps MC Jolene is typical for the job, but she was abrasive, curt, pushy, and often unlikably rude. 

The actual nuts and bolts of the mystery are well put together (though -extremely- unbelievable, even for a murder mystery); readers should bring a prodigious suspension of disbelief. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 3 minutes and is competently read by Devon Sorvari. She has a neutral American accent in the read, but struggles with sufficiently delineating the vast cast of characters sufficiently that they're easy enough to keep straight in the reader's mind. Sound and production quality are high throughout. 

Three and a half stars. Although it works well as a standalone, the 2 books extant in the series could be a nice choice for a mini-binge/buddy read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

The Winds from Further West

 

The Winds from Further West is a standalone slice-of-life Hebrides novel by the incomparable Alexander McCall Smith. Released 29th July 2025 by Knopf Doubleday on their Pantheon imprint, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. 

Although this is a standalone and not a contiguous with his other series, readers will instantly recognize his pacing, language, wry self-effacing humor, and whimsical characters and situations. This one is no different and fans will be right at home investing in Neil, his entanglements and disentangling and moving to a remote location, and the foundling wolves which upend his life. 

Definitely worthwhile for fans of the author's oeuvre, possibly a trifle -too- sedate and philosophical as an introduction to the author's work. It would be an excellent choice for public or home library acquisition, for a buddy read, as well as a good choice for book club discussion. 

Three and a half stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

 

The Art of a Lie

 

The Art of a Lie is a standalone historical mystery set in Georgian London by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. Released 5th Aug 2025 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in late 2nd quarter 2026. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is an engaging and well written historical mystery featuring real historical characters and a framework of actual historical events and people. It's set in 1749 in and around London environs and novelist/magistrate Henry Fielding is trying to sort out the complex estate of a murdered confectioner with unfortunate impact to his struggling widow.

It's impressive that the author manages to weave the fiction around the bones of historical events so skillfully that it isn't always clear where fact shades into fiction. She's clearly very adept at research and giving the writing verisimilitude of the period without being at all impenetrable or awkward to modern ears. 

The pacing was relaxed, but it isn't overly slow and readers shouldn't have issues staying engaged. The climax and denouement were satisfying and well written.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 52 minutes and is capably read by Sophie Roberts and Justin Avoth in alternating lead character roles. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. 

Four stars. Definitely one for readers who enjoy historical mystery. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home library, or a buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

 

A Poetic Pox - Lady librarian series #3

 

A Poetic Pox is the third book in the Lady Librarian historical cozy mystery series by Samantha Larsen. Released 22nd July 2025 by Dreamscape Media.

This is a charming historical cozy with an appealing protagonist who employs creative and intelligent solutions to counteract some of the harsher realities of Regency history (women often lived lives of tenuous and terrifying insecurity). She's smart and generally honest and clever as well, and easy to relate to. Although she's sworn off murder and investigation after the last couple of times, she's now stumbled over the body of a servant at the estate of the former paramour of her patroness and employer, The Duchess of Beaufort and so much once again use her intellect and wiles to sort out what really happened.

The book is well written and the author has a firm grasp on the nuts and bolts of plot, setting, and characterization. It's a light cozy with a strong romance subplot and a surprising amount of effective humor. It's a bookish book, and there are book titles and period book/library trivia and title-dropping throughout. Readers will certainly find this book slower in pace and plotting than the last 2 books in the series and this one is overflowing with dirty diapers and other biological realities of having responsibility for a newborn.

Happily, the author mostly ignores the more rigid realities of race, parentage, and class which would have otherwise precluded many of the interactions and relationships in the book. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 47 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Marni Penning. She has a well modulated classically trained alto voice and does a good job with a number of disparate accents of both sexes and a range of ages. It's easy to keep the characters separate and the dialogue flows smoothly. 

Four stars. This would make an appealing binge/buddy read, as well as a good choice for public library acquisition. It appears that currently the book is only available in audio format; the previous 2 installments are also available in hardcover and ebook formats (from Crooked Lane). 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

 

Dead of Summer

 

Dead of Summer is a standalone cold case mystery thriller by Jessa Maxwell. Released 22nd July 2025 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out 16th June from the same publisher.  It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The author does manage to write moody and atmospheric, although the characterizations were fairly flimsy and clearly telegraphed throughout, mostly without much nuance. The "big twist" at the end, although strongly foreshadowed, was well wrought and probably worth a read for psychological thriller fans. Most of the characters are fairly unlikable overall, and reading about stratospherically wealthy people behaving horribly wasn't entirely believable as presented. 

Trigger warnings for s*xual assault (including minors), psychological torture, mental health crises/bullying, class shaming, body shaming, and other abuse; some of it was difficult to read.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 59 minutes and is capably read by an ensemble cast. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.  

Three stars. Possibly a good beach/airport/travel/poolside read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.