The 11:59 Bomber is an absolute knockout—Marshall Karp delivers a fast-paced, clever, and wildly entertaining thriller that’s impossible to put down. The plot is sharply constructed, balancing high-stakes suspense with the humor and heart that make this series such a standout.
What truly elevates the book is the main cast. Karp’s characters have always been one of the strongest parts of the series, and they shine here more than ever. They’re vibrant, funny, deeply human, and endlessly engaging—exactly the kind of characters you can’t wait to follow into the next installment. Their chemistry and banter add warmth to even the most intense moments, making the story feel alive on every page.
If you’re already a fan of the NYPD Red series, The 11:59 Bomber is everything you’re hoping for and more. And if you’re new to Marshall Karp, this book is a fantastic place to see why his characters and storytelling have earned such a dedicated following. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Cozy up this season with the newest Pinegrove FD Romance book!
Thanksgiving Overruled A Pinegrove FD Novel Book 3 by Libby Kay Genre: Contemporary Small-Town Firefighter Sapphic Romance
Everyone wants to hear those three little words during the holidays… Where’s the casserole?!
Winnie Kerr wants to utter another three-word phrase to her girlfriend, but Thanksgiving has other plans. After spending far too much time on work, this legal eagle decides an impromptu road trip to visit her sister is the perfect time to tell her girlfriend she loves her. What could go wrong during a few days away from work, right?
Mari Balogh has a problem, she’s madly in love with her girlfriend and cannot get those three little words off her tongue. After being burned before from her unsupportive family and a string of bad breakups, this paralegal is guarded. She happily agrees on a road trip to Pinegrove, eager for the space to profess her affections. How hard can it be, right?
From a little trespassing and a kitchen nightmare to a surly cat and a series of misunderstandings, the road to I love you is rife with hiccups. Can these two find their way to happily ever after? Or will their relationship go up in a puff of sweet potato casserole scented smoke?
But Pinegrove has proven that love is never overruled!
Return to small-town Pinegrove, Georgia, the romantic setting of Libby Kay’s endearing novels, When Sparks Fly and Old Flames, as well as the 2026 novel about another of the hunky firemen in town. Don’t miss any of the action or romance!
This is not my typical genre, but I thought this was a cute holiday novella. I could see this being made into a Hallmark TV holiday movie. All of the characters are likeable, and my favorite was a side character named Trevor.
Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!
When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.
Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!
Title: The Kill Clause Author: Lisa Unger Format: eBook Length: 68 pages Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: December 1, 2025
COYER, HRCYED 2.0
I really enjoyed this quick, twisty read! Lisa Unger manages to pack so much tension and emotion into such a short story. It has that perfect mix of suspense and dark humor that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The characters feel like real people, the pacing is on point, and the ending totally sticks with you. It’s a fast, satisfying thriller that shows just how good Unger is at what she does.
I received a free e-copy of this book. Thank you to Amazon First Reads.
Title: The Writer Author: James Patterson & JD Barker Format: audiobook Length: 9 hours 30 minutes Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: March 17, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, HRCYED 2.0, Library Love
The premise is irresistible: a famous true-crime author found standing over her husband’s dead body, covered in blood, claiming she didn’t do it. NYPD detective Declan Shaw quickly realizes nothing about this case is straightforward, and the more he digs, the more twisted it becomes. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another twist sent me in a completely different direction.
What I liked most was how the story blurs the line between truth and fiction. The idea of a writer whose life starts to resemble the crimes she writes about is fascinating — and a little unsettling. The pacing is classic Patterson: short chapters that make it almost impossible to stop reading. I flew through the book in just a couple of sittings.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you guessing right up to the final reveal, The Writer delivers exactly that. Fast, addictive, and loaded with twists — it’s the kind of book that reminds me why I love the genre.
I borrowed this audiobook from my library. Thank you to Libby! I own a hardcover copy of this book thanks to James Patterson Street Team.
Challenges: Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love Challenge, Netgalley
Steve Cavanagh just keeps getting better. Witness 8 hooked me from page one! A murder, a mysterious witness, and Eddie Flynn right in the middle of everything. Ruby Johnson is one of the most fascinating characters Cavanagh’s written yet: part victim, part mastermind, and totally unpredictable.
The twists come fast, the courtroom scenes are tense, and I loved the mix of clever legal drama and real danger. Every time I thought I knew what was happening I didn’t. The pacing is tight, the writing’s great, and it was impossible to put down.
If you love smart, twisty thriller, this one is a must! Easily one of my favorite Eddie Flynn books so far!
I borrowed the audiobook of a Netgalley eBook I have thanks to Libby.
Title: The Passengers Author: John Marrs Format: eBook Length: 341 pages Genre: Speculative Thriller Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Challenges: Beat The Backlist, COYER, HRCYED 2.0, Library Love Challenge
This book takes you on a whirlwind ride – literally. It’s multiple POV, as you’re strapped into the autonomous cars with the characters of this story. All of them are on a crash course collision to their deaths by a Hacker. It was fast paced and didn’t stop till the end! What a great book! I definitely plan to read the next book in this series. P.S. all of the books can be read as standalones, they are just set in the same universe.
I borrowed an e-copy from my library thanks to Libby.
Title: All Systems Red Author: Martha Wells Format: hardcover Length: 171 pages Rating: 3 stars Publication: 2017
Challenges: Library Love, HRCYED 2.0
Review: Funny sci-fi books aren’t normally my thing, but I’ve been hearing lots of buzz about this books for awhile now and figured I’d give it a try. I liked it. It was a fun ride. I will probably read the next book in the series. And eventually get to the TV show lol.
Title: The Wife Deserved It Author: Darby Kane Format: eBook Length: 115 pages Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Challenges: COYER, NetGalley/Edelweiss
Synopsis: Darby Kane, author of #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, delivers an unputdownable domestic thriller novella in which a man has laid the foundation for the perfect murder… or so he thinks.
Reid Cavanagh is done with his marriage. He wants out. He wants the kids. He wants his wife to shut up. He wants the legal fees to stop. He wants peace.
His wife has to die.
Reid is a smart guy. He has a plan to make it happen. He’s studied. He’s been in the chatrooms. He’s heard other men’s stories. He’s learned from their mistakes. He’s ready. His alibi is in place. He has the weapon. Nothing, none of this, will trace back to him. He can do the deed and move on.
Unfortunately for Reid, she’s ready for him.
Review: This fast-paced thriller was so freaking good! I loved the different POVs from each character. It’s exactly what the story needed. I am always wanting more from novellas… like if it was just a little bit longer, lol!
I received a complimentary e-copy through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse.
Title: The Picasso Heist Author: James Patterson and Howard Roughan Format: Paperback Length: 372 pages Rating: 4.5 stars Publication Date: October 13, 2025
Challenges:
Review: I loved the pacing of this book… short chapters, lots of cliffhangers, and little lulls with practically no filler. The world building of the art world, auction houses, fashion, crime bosses, and high society are all vividly depicted in this book. The twists were cleverly done. Not all totally predictable, and the resolution ties many threads together in satisfying ways.
It was a little hard to keep track of all the conspiracies and the competing subplot, but overall didn’t ruin anything for me.
This book is for fans of heist stories, thrillers, and strong leads with emotional as well as tactical stakes. It’s bold, clever, fast‑paced, and satisfying. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary paperback copy. Thank you to Little, Brown for allowing me to read this book. #JamesPattersonStreetTeam
Title: Three Mages and A Margarita Author: Annette Marie Format: audiobook Length: 7 hours 14 minutes Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: October 16, 2018
Challenges: COYER, Library Love
Review: This was a fun introduction for me into the Urban Fantasy genre! I really liked this book, the characters made this story for me. I plan to listen to the rest of this series!
Title: Too Close To Home Author: Seraphina Nova Glass Format: eBook Length: 304 Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Review: I enjoyed this book! The short, fast paced chapters made it a book that I could fly through. I even stayed up way past my bedtime because I could not put this book down. At some points in the story you had to stretch your imagination a little bit, but overall a great read from Seraphina Nova Glass.
Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse, the author, HTP Books and Park Row for allowing me to read this ARC through Netgalley.
I was sent a complimentary ebook through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse.
Title: The Chateau Author: Avery Bishop Narrator: Christine Lakin Format: Audiobook Length: 7 hours 32 minutes Rating: 3.5 stars Publication Date: August 21, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, COYER
Review: I was really into this story for most of the book, but once the reveal showed itself it started to lose me. By the end I was just wanting the book to be over. I’m fine with an unreliable narrator but the last two hours of this audiobook was a struggle to get through. I gave it a little more than an average rating because I like how the story started off with the police interviewing guests at the resort and you’re trying to figure out what happened and what’s going on. I did enjoy the narrator, Christine Lakin. She did a great job!
I was sent a complimentary audiobook through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse.
Title: The Wasp Trap Author: Mark Edwards Format: eBook Length: 336 pages Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: September 16, 2025
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
Synopsis: A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game, as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets…or else.
Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.
But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game when the old friends find themselves held at gunpoint. They are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.
It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out psychopaths: The Wasp Trap. This and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.
Review: I thought the beginning of this story started off slow, but it was really laying down groundwork for later in the plot. The story goes between the present and the summer of 1999, where the group of friends met to work for a start up company for a website to find love on the internet. Of course the twists were twisting, and I did not see the ending coming (I feel like I should of, but I was looking the other way lol). Overall, I would recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy locked room thrillers.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Last year I went out of my comfort zone and chose a book with an interesting cover that is not in my usual genre for a Macmillan Audio Influencer pick. I ended up liking the story (I think it needed to be a little longer, to really get in depth with the characters).
Now I chose the second book in the series as last month’s Macmillan Audio pick. I plan to listen to it before the end of the month!
Synopsis for When Among Crows: When Among Crows is swift and striking, drawing from the deep well of Slavic folklore and asking if redemption and atonement can be found in embracing what we most fear.
We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.
Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.
Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.
Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.
Synopsis for To Clutch A Razor: A funeral. A heist. A mission born of desperation.
When someone in Dymitr’s family dies, he’s called back home for the Empty Night, a funeral rite intended to keep evil at bay.
The secret Dymitr is keeping from them makes returning home downright dangerous, but if he wants to get his hands on a book of curses that might appease Baba Jaga’s blood lust, he has no choice. And when that same funeral brings ferocious creature-of-legend Niko to town for his own bloody purposes, Dymitr’s charade becomes impossible to maintain.
Family gatherings can be brutal. Dymitr’s might just be fatal.
I received both of these audiobooks through Macmillan Audio Influencer Program.
Review: I can absolutely get behind a sci-fi time traveling story! I love different takes on time traveling and the current time line we are all living in. I enjoyed how you could slowly see how the characters stories intertwined as they were navigating their past.
This audiobook has multiple narrators, which was absolutely stellar! It really helped separate which character was which while listening to the story. All of them did a fabulous job! Every single narrator of this story REALLY made me get into this book. They felt like they were real people and not characters within a book.
Review: We get to meet up with Helgi Reykdal again, as he solves the case of a missing crime writer named Elín S. Jónsdóttir. As Helgi interviews the people closest to her (a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge) he realizes that Elín’s life wasn’t what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote. I was totally invested in this story and could not believe the ending!
If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie type books, with a Nordic flair, this one is for you!
I received two complimentary copies. Thank you to Sara Beth at St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC via Netgalley widget, and Macmillan Audio Influencer Program for sending me an ALC.
Title: Death At The Sanatorium Author: Ragnar Jónasson Narrator: Sam Woolf Format: eBook / Audiobook Length: 279 pages / 6 hours 42 minutes Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, HRCYED 2.0, Mount TBR, NetGalley
Review: Ragnar Jónasson’s love for Agatha Christie shows in all of his work. This book was a rather good representation of that. It was all slowly building up to who the murder was at the very end. I enjoyed getting to know Helgi also. Another Christie-like detective you are rooting for.
I will recommend this to all my friends who enjoy mystery novels.
I received two complimentary copies. Thank you to Sara Beth at St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC via Netgalley widget, and Macmillan Audio Influencer Program for sending me an ALC.
Challenges: Amazon First Reads Backlog, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Read For The Stars
Review: Victor Methos is becoming one of my favorite authors! His writing style is smooth and all of his stories flow easily, which helps move the story along at such a good pace where absolutely nothing feels forced. His characters are genuine and feel like real people you can relate to and root for throughout the whole series.
I received The Secret Witness as a First Reads choice in 2022. I redeemed a gift card to acquire The Grave Singer and The Deceiving Look earlier this year.
Title: Salem’s Fall Author: Rektok Ross Format: eBook Length: 320 pages Publication Date: August 5, 2025 Rating: My review is up on Storygraph
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
A hotshot young attorney. An enigmatic billionaire accused of murder. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to play his game—and try not to fall in love with the devil.
The Silence of the Lambs meets Labyrinth in this dangerously addictive blend of twisty psychological thriller, legal suspense, and gothic dark romance—perfect for fans of Verity, Haunting Adeline, and The Housemaid.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for allowing me to read this ARC through NetGalley.
Title: Kill Your Darlings Author: Peter Swanson Format: Hardcover Book Length: 272 pages Rating: 2 stars Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Challenges:
Review: This may be the DULLEST book I’ve ever read in my entire life. I forced myself through this entire book! The concept of the story being told backwards was intriguing and this is why I wanted to read the book. The whole middle of the book was so slow and seemed to not have any meaning to the plot. I’m normally a Peter Swanson fan, and this one did not hit!
I received a hardcover copy in the mail for free from HarperCollins.
