Missing Sam (publication day January 27, 2026) by Thrity Umrigar caught my attention immediately, telling the story of a fight between married Aliyah and Samantha, that they don’t resolve before they go to sleep. In the morning, Sam goes for a run and doesn’t come back. Ali becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. UmrigarContinue reading “Missing Sam”
Tag Archives: mystery
Divine Ruin
Divine Ruin (publication day January 13, 2026) by Margot Douaihy is another thrilling installment in the adventures of Sister Holiday–former punk rocker, current nun, nonpracticing lesbian, amateur sleuth! I love this series! (#1 is Scorched Grace, #2 is Blessed Water.) This time Sister Holiday is dealing with the overdose of one of her favorite students,Continue reading “Divine Ruin”
The Happiness Collector
The Happiness Collector (publication day December 2, 2025) by Crystal King has an interesting premise–combining modern fantasy with Greek mythology. It was completely weight-neutral as well! As the book opens, Aida, a historian, finds out that the company who was to publish the book that was a necessary part of her graduate work was folding,Continue reading “The Happiness Collector”
Firekeeper’s Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed, and Sisters in the Wind
So I read Warrior Girl Unearthed (2023) by Angeline Boulley in September, and immediately had to read Boulley’s first book Firekeeper’s Daughter (2021, Goodreads Choice Award for YA), and was thrilled to find out she’s just published a third book, Sisters in the Wind (September 2, 2025), which I also devoured. They are each amazingContinue reading “Firekeeper’s Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed, and Sisters in the Wind”
Guide Me Home
I’ve only posted one review of Attica Locke’s books here (The Cutting Season (2012)) but I have assiduously read everything she publishes. So I was looking forward to the final installment of the Highway 59 trilogy, Guide Me Home (2024), which follows now-retired Texas Ranger Darren Matthews as he adjusts to life in retirement andContinue reading “Guide Me Home”
All of Us Murderers
I devoured All of Us Murderers (publication day October 7, 2025), KJ Charles’s latest “romance with a body count” (see Death in the Spires). Although most of the characters were extremely unlikable, I loved the participants in the romance–Zebedee and Gideon. Zeb is kind of a mess, as usual, when he arrives at his cousinContinue reading “All of Us Murderers”
The Librarians
The Librarians (publication day September 30, 2025) by Sherry Thomas was a wild ride that I enjoyed every moment of! And I was floored to learn Thomas has an impressive backlist of romance, fantasy, and mystery–both adult and YA–and that English is her second language! Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC.Continue reading “The Librarians”
A Murderous Business
For an intriguing historical feminist mystery, I recommend A Murderous Business (publication day September 16, 2025) by Cathy Pegau, which I hope becomes book one of a series! It’s 1912, and Margot Harriman is running her father’s business empire after his passing–a canning company on Long Island that also manufactures and sells other prepared foods.Continue reading “A Murderous Business”
Shutter and Exposure
Shutter (2022) and Exposure (2024) by Ramona Emerson, feature Rita Todacheene, a crime scene photographer for the Albuquerque police department who can see ghosts. Raised both on the Navajo reservation by her grandmother and in Albuquerque with her mother, who died when Rita was 18, she started seeing ghosts when she was a young child,Continue reading “Shutter and Exposure”
Blood Caste
Blood Caste (publication date July 24, 2025) by Shylashri Shankar is an absorbing mystery set in 1895, and imagines what could happen if Jack the Ripper hadn’t been stopped in London but starts another killing spree in Hyderabad, India. Most fascinating was the interplay of all of the different royals and officials–both Indian and British–presentContinue reading “Blood Caste”
Reading While Fat 