The Calamity Club

 

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2026. 638 pages. *****

Not for the faint of heart, it's a hefty 638 pages and well worth it. It's been 17 years since her last novel, The Help was published and The Calamity Club has the same feel to it. It's 1933 in Oxford, Mississippi rich and poor are struggling with financial losses while trying to maintain societal expectations. Eleven-year-old Meg, abandoned by her mother on Christmas Eve, resides at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum.  Unmarried Birdie is visiting her social-climbing sister to ask for financial help to keep their family home. Birdie helps at the Orphanage while working up the courage to ask for money, only to discover that her sister's situation isn't what it seems. Charlie is working hard to redefine herself and build a new life as a mother. Birdie and Charlie come together under unusual circumstances to earn as much money as they can to benefit their families. It's legal if everyone consents and no one finds out, right?  

I loved this story and didn't want it to end, expect it to be a block buster movie. You'll laugh, cry and cheer. Stockett can make absurd situations seem plausible. Championing the cause that with women working together, all things are possible. In reading other reviews, they are mixed both for the length of the novel and some of the family situations introduced. You will have to read it to decide for yourself, however, it's 5 starts for me! 

From her website - "Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. Her first novel, The Help, has sold over 15 million copies worldwide." For more info https://www.kathrynstockettauthor.com/.

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Dark Ugly Places

 

Dark Ugly Places by Ashley Mansour. California: Moniker Press, 2026. 349 pages. **** Publication September 15, 2026.

Thirty-four-year-old Nicola Holiday is recovering emotionally and financially from a hit-and-run accident. Her husband is killed and her daughter severely injured. Nicola tries to recreate the accident in her mind to identify the car and the driver. She has a darkness within her inherited from her father and personified as "Martha." When Martha appears, Nicola is aware, however she is unable to stop her. Martha ingratiates herself into the household of the suspected driver. Martha is out to revenge the accident and to make those responsible  pay. 

I received a copy to review. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written psychological thriller. The suspected hit-and-run driver is so abusive that it's easy to cheer Martha on in enacting her revenge. I found it interesting that Emily, Nicola's fourteen-year-old daughter, realizes when her mother isn't herself. At times, I wasn't quite sure where the story was headed, however, Mansour wraps it up cohesively, she has a devious mind.  Character development and building suspense is her strength and you will be thinking about it long after you have read it.  

From Amazon

Ashley Mansour is a renowned book strategist, bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of LA Writing Coach and Brands Through Books.

With over a decade of experience across publishing, entertainment, and digital media, she has transformed from a struggling writer into a multiple bestselling author, a sought-after coach, and a successful business owner.

Her passion for storytelling and empowering others has led to the development of her proprietary book writing system, the TAP Method, which has helped hundreds of aspiring authors, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into impactful bestselling books. For more info https://ashleymansour.com

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The Mountains We Call Home

 

The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman's Legacy by Kim Michele Richardson. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2026. 367 pages. ****

Companion novel to the Bookwoman of TroublesomeCreek series, Cussy May Lovett and her husband Jackson are unfairly incarcerated for miscegenation, she is Blue and Jackson isn't. Life in the Kentucky prison isn't kind to women; forced sterilization if a woman is deemed an imbecile, removing her fetus even though abortion is a crime and assigning the death penalty when she may have been defending herself and her children from a brute of a husband. Cussy continues her calling as a Bookwoman by selecting and suggesting books for the inmates. Discovering that the some of the women cannot read or write, Cussy convinces the Warden to allow her to read aloud to the inmates. An extension of that activity is  to hold classes to teach the alphabet and writing. Reading letters from home to the women provides a connection that they desperately need. 

I highly recommend reading the first two books before this one even though it can be read as a standalone. Richardson is a master storyteller, describing the people and culture of rural Kentucky. Educating the reader on the necessity of traveling with The Negro Motorist Green Book, '52 edition when motoring outside their rural town. Well-researched, do not skim the added material including the Images, A Note from the Author, Recipe, and a Reading Group Guide.  I was immersed in the superstitions, accepted cultural norms and the extreme measures taken to discriminate against women and anyone different than themselves. Richardson shows us the horrors and hope, love prevails. Excellent for Book Clubs and a suggested companion book to How To Read A Book by Monica Wood.

From her website... 

A native-born Kentuckian, Kim Michele Richardson is the New York Times, L.A. Times, USA Today bestselling author who has written six novels, a memoir and most recently, two children’s picture books. Her novel The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is taught widely in high schools and college classrooms and has been adopted as a Common Read selection by states, cities, and colleges across the country and abroad, and was a Favorite Read by Dolly Parton in People’s Magazine. Kim Michele was inducted into the Kentucky Women’s Remembers Exhibit in 2025 by Gov. Andy Beshear for her contributions to Kentucky, and was awarded a Doctorate in Humanities from Eastern Kentucky University.She lives with her family in Kentucky and is the founder of Shy Rabbit, a writers residency, and a literacy initiative Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky & Beyond.  For more information, https://www.kimmichelerichardson.com 

Reviews

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek 

The Book Woman's Daughter

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Suggested Summer Reading List 2026

 

Flamazing_books suggested Summer Reading List

 The Weight of Amber ***** (The Thornfield Inheritance #1)  Eleanor Vane. 

Our Missing Hearts  ***** by Celeste Ng. - Chosen as the One Book, One Philadelphia

We Burned So Bright ***** by T.J. Klune.

The Last Mandarin ***** by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung

Daughter of Egypt ***** by Marie Benedict. 

Small Things Like These ****by Claire Keegan.

Theo of Golden **** by Allen Levi

The Mountains We Call Home **** by Richardson.

The Calamity Club ***** by Kathryn Stockett

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kn2026

 

The Radiant Dark

The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva. New York: SJP LIT, 2026. 416 pages. ****

Oliva has written a multigenerational novel starting in 1980 and ending in 2138. Carol and her husband have had their first child and her life as a new mother is a lonely one. Life is somewhat predictable until "something flashes in the sky." What was that? Her husband and others get caught up in far-fetched explanations and conspiracy theories. The flickering eventually is determined to be communication from life on exoplanet, Ross128. Those other beings are 11 light years away in their communication and some humans fear what they don't understand. 

Well-written with an interesting premise, a message from another planet that takes 11 light years to get here - should we answer, ignore, or create a way to defend ourselves. If we respond, what should we say and who gets to decide the message? Motherhood is never an easy path, lacking clear direction, support, and understanding. Carol and her scientific daughter do not speak the same language, and Carol eventually finds the love and acceptance she seeks with her new husband and the light teachings of Hector Thomas. One of my favorite quotes from the book is "Every trial is an opportunity to grow. If you cannot see the light in a situation, try to feel it. Feel for the warmth. And if you cannot feel it, then perhaps it's your turn to provide it." 

Following Carol and her family through the years, we are reminded how we are different and alike. Not my usual genre (speculative fiction), I did enjoy it and read it in two days. Sympathetic to Carol's struggle with her dysfunctional family and at the same time, it was easy to be critical from a distance.  More multigenerational than science fiction, however, the story has broad appeal. What if there is life out there watching us from afar? Some people can't agree as to whether we landed on the moon and tensions run high around that discussion. This is a novel that will make you think and question what would you do? 

From Amazon

Alexandra Oliva was born and raised in the mountains of upstate New York and is the author of The Radiant Dark, Forget Me Not, and The Last One. A first-generation college graduate, she earned a BA in history from Yale University and an MFA in creative writing from The New School. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

For more information: https://www.alexandraoliva.com

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The Weight of Amber

 

 The Weight of Amber (The Thornfield Inheritance #1)  by Eleanor Vane. Cloud City Press LLC, 2026. 339 pages. ***** May 1, 2026 publication date

From Amazon...

"Ailis Thornfield has a gift she cannot afford to name: when she touches an object, she feels its history. A wedding ring grows heavy with decades of love. A knife burns with the memory of blood. She has survived as an herbalist in the Scottish borderlands by hiding what she can do behind knowledge that looks like intuition and cures that look like luck. Her mother was not so careful." Her mother burned as a witch.  The English Crown sends a magistrate to investigate. James Blackwood is young, educated, and inconveniently principled. He has been sent to find evidence of ungodly practices."

I received an ARC to review and I am so glad that I accepted. Part historical fiction and part romance, it has all of the elements to keep you spellbound. Ailis' gift is a blessing and a curse. She's learned to keep quiet about her ability and to ascribe a "normal" reason for her knowledge. I felt her fear and sadness after her mother's death. Descriptions of the living conditions of the prisoners and the way in which the women were dragged out of their homes reinforced the horror. "To protest was to be named. To be named was to be next." Vane has transported us to Scotland in 1593 and begged the question, what would you do? I recommend this novel and look forward to the second one in the series. 

Eleanor Vane holds an MA in Early Modern European History and spent years working in museum archives before turning to fiction. Her debut series, The Thornfield Inheritance, spans five centuries and three continents. For more information, click here. 

Don't wait, preorder now (publication date May 1) from Amazon. 

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Peace Mini Raffle Quilt

 

@Cherrywood Fabrics

In this crazy world on the news every night, I became obsessed with the Monks walking for Peace from Texas to DC. https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/.

My Quilt Guild is having a Quilt Show and has asked for Mini Raffle Quilts to auction so I decided to combine my fascination with creating a mini that others' may like to purchase tickets to win.

Cherrywood jumped on the bandwagon and offered a fat quarter bundle in the color way of the monk's garments.

The colors are gorgeous! 

 

I love that the colors are labeled with with the name and number.

Disappearing nine patch is a simple and effective pattern.

Wanting it to look random isn't as easy as I thought because I had 8 individual fabrics instead of 9.

Deciding on font and size is always a challenge. 

Lighting really does make a difference when photographing a picture. Finished size is 18x 18. 

I decided to face it instead of a binding. Not a pretty back, however, I like the look for the front of the wall hanging. 

Tickets for raffle quilts will be available at the Brandywine Valley Quilters Show- May 29 - 31, 2026 

UPDATED - Hanging in the Show, don't know who the winner was - I hope it was you!

#walkforpeace #BVQminirafflequilt #peacequilt

 

Our Missing Hearts

 

 

 Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. New York:Penguin Press, 2022. 335 pages. *****

Chosen as the One Book, One Philadelphia for 2026!

https://www.phillyvoice.com/one-book-one-philadelphia-2026-our-missing-hearts/ 

https://billypenn.com/2026/02/26/one-book-one-philly-2026-celeste-ng-our-missing-hearts/

Published in 2022, Ng's story bears a striking resemblance to what's happening today. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives with his father, a former Linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His father's job provides housing, so he and Bird live in a university dormitory. Bird misses his mother and questions where she is and knows better than to ask anyone, his father has cautioned him about drawing attention to himself. Living under The Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act (PACT) PACT keeps American citizens safe from foreign influences and allows children to be removed from parents who are unfit or unpatriotic. Bird's mother leaves them to protect them from government interference since she is a poet of Asian descent who participates in the resistance and is considered a traitor. Bird is determined to find her after trying to connect through books she read him and by reading her poetry. He's not surprised but disappointed when visiting the library, he discovers that her books have been removed. Bird begins his journey by following the clues he thinks his mother has left him like breadcrumbs to lead the way.

Ng has a style of writing that engages and empowers the reader. The author drew inspiration from real life events and things that she thought might become reality. That in and of itself is chilling, the events that Bird's family experiences are happening today and her insight into the fear felt by the parents and the children who are removed and sometimes never to be found again.  Some of the reviews are critical and it is an uncomfortable book to read. A reminder of Fred Rogers’ famous quote about finding hope during difficult times is: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'". This is a novel of hope and love even when society seems judgmental and hopeless. This is a thought-provoking novel and a great discussion one for Book Clubs. I will be thinking about it and recommending it for a long time, no surprise as to why Philadelphia chose it for 2026. 

Celeste Ng  is an American writer and novelist. Celeste grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. She graduated from Harvard University and earned an MFA from the University of Michigan (now the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan).  Her fiction and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, and many other publications, and she is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. For more information - https://www.celesteng.com

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We Burned So Bright

 

We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune. Tor Books, 2026. 176 pages. *****

How would you react if you knew the end of the world is coming? A black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone. Don and Rodney, an older gay couple, are on a mission before they run out of time. They buy a used RV and travel the back roads from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over. Why did they wait so long? 

On their travels, they meet people who are dealing with the news in their own way - celebrating life, ending lives so their loved ones won't suffer, waiting in place, making new friends, acceptance, and hitting the road to beat death. 

Once started, you will want to finish it in one sitting. Klune captures the contradiction in life - worrying about the future while enjoying the present. The description of what happens when weightlessness begins and they feel lighter; aches and pains disappear is golden. He balances the uncertainty of the end with love and friendship.  A great discussion book, perfect for Book Clubs that are open to new ideas and possibilities. 

TJ KLUNE is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award–winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.

For more info, click here.

Additional books by Klune:

Somewhere Beneath the Sea

The House in the Cerulean Sea 

Under the Whispering Door  

 I received an ARC to review. 

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An Ordinary Sort of Evil

 

An Ordinary Sort of Evil: A Rip Through Time Novel (Rip Through Time Novels Book 5) by Kelley Armstrong. Minotaur Books, 320 pages. 2026. ****

From Amazon - "Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems."

I love this series-- mystery, time travel, romance, ghosts, it has it all! Armstrong is a master at setting the scene, Victorian Scotland. Seances and summoning the dead was popular during that time and skepticism was rampant as to how mediums were able to do so. Mallory and Gray are becoming close and how they are going to manage a romance across time remains to be seen. I am fascinated by the norms of society and the research her novels require. Thoroughly enjoyable, I look forward to the next one!

From her website - Kelley Armstrong believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies. For more info, click here. 

A Rip Through Time Novels

Death At A Highland Wedding 

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Hope Rises

 

Hope Rises (Walter Nash #2 of 2 ) by David Baldacci. Grand Central Publishing, 432 pages. ****

Walter Nash has reinvented himself with fine-tuning his body, the addition of tattoos and a new name, Dillon Hope. Bent on revenge, he will do anything to bring down the people responsible for his daughter's death. Traveling into the devil's lair as a security guard to his boss, Rhett Temple, he has one mission, keeping his enemies alive so that he can kill them. He becomes an informant for the FBI to report on Victoria Steers, the head of a global criminal drug operation. Acting as his exboss's security guard, he agrees to protect Steer's mother once she is sprung from a highly secret jail. Things don't go as planned and Hope soon learns who he can trust and who will keep his new identity a secret. Feeling an attraction for his enemy has Hope questioning his own mission and the veracity of what he's been told. Will he fail and be killed before he can complete his mission or will he discover who the villain is behind the far reaching drug operation? 

I thoroughly enjoyed the second book, Hope Rises, Baldacci managed to bring the story together in a fast-paced, action packed ending. I felt that the first book (Nash Falls) lagged somewhat and was stretched out to pave the way for the second book. Hope Rises didn't disappoint and perhaps some readers may like two books to tell the story. Psychological thrillers are my genre of choice and Baldacci delivers! I am in awe of his character development and plot complexity. Highly Recommend!

For more info on David Baldacci  and to stay updated on future books. 

Review of Nash Falls - Book 1 of 2

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The Last Mandarin

 

Credit : Angela Tung; Minotaur Books

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung. Minotaur Books, 2025. 400 pages. *****

This fast-paced, all-too-real thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. "Set in China and the United States, it is a study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down."

I received a netgalley copy to review. 

The premise of this story is so diabolical, fascinating, and frightening, all at the same time. What if all the alarms across the world went off at the same time? The planning and coordination to pull something like that off boggles the mind. What's next to get our attention and who has the resources and manpower to execute a catastrophe of epic proportions? The Last Mandarin is a standalone novel and the latest in her political thrillers. The research and planning that went into this novel is amazing. On a more personal note, it is also the story of the complicated relationship of a mother and her daughter racing against time to  stop the next attack. Highly recommend. 

From Louise - "Over countless lunches in noodle joints, Mellissa and I sketched out the plot, the characters, the themes. Then we got to work.  THE LAST MANDARIN will be in your hands on May 12th. As well, as a show of our love of independent bookstores, there is a limited edition we created just for independents in North America. It has a special chapter and a message from Mellissa and me. You can pre-order it from your favourite shop, or go online." 

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Nash Falls

 

Nash Falls (Walter Nash #1) by David Baldacci. Grand Central Publishing, 2025. 448 pages. ***

Walter Nash has it all. A highly successful position at Sybaritic Investments, a cheating wife and loving daughter. Estranged from his Vietnam- veteran father, he meets his father's friend and learns how he was viewed by his father and it unsettles his predictable, complacent life.

Approached by the FBI to provide evidence of a money laundering and drug selling enterprise, Nash becomes involved in international espionage. When his daughter is kidnapped and he is blamed, Nash agrees to be a man on the inside to bring down Victoria Speers, an international mastermind, and his boss, Rhett Temple. 

I am a fan of Baldacci books; however, this one dragged for me. The story line is continued in the second book, Hope Rises. Condensing the story into one book may not have provided the ability to introduce the many characters and the back stories, however, I am always impatient waiting for a story to be continued. Thankfully, I received Hope Rises to review, and it is excellent. As always, fantastic character development and still he incorporates his usual twists and turns to keep you guessing. 

 I had the pleasure of seeing David Baldacci interviewed by Lisa Scottoline in Lancaster, PA. What a fun evening! As an author and friend Lisa was able to ask probing and entertaining questions. 

David and Michelle Baldacci have created "Wishing You Well Foundation" to combat illiteracy in America. He spoke passionately about man's humanity and promoting civil discourse. 

For more info on Baldacci, click here

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Shibby Magee

 

Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak. Cobyn, 2026. ****

Synopsis from the author - "When their mother, Vera Coffey, disappears after announcing she's a Traveller/Mincéir, Shibby and her twin sister, Dorah, are abandoned to a settled family already cracking at the seams. Under the iron rule of their viciously prejudiced grandmother, the two girls grow up on opposite tracks: Dorah, arrogant and bold; Shibby, bruised and quietly resilient.

As Shibby stumbles into adulthood, she's drawn to men who either abuse or dump her. She finds fleeting stability in the fast-paced chaos of a restaurant kitchen—but a question gnaws at her: is her future in the rooted life of the settled or on the open road to God only knows where? With the fierce support of a chosen few—Alice Duffy, housekeeper turned surrogate mother; Moochie de Barra, an affectionate stand-in for an emotionally absent father; and Kitty Dooley, a Traveller whose loyalty never wavers—Shibby begins to uncover hard truths about identity, family, and what she desperately needs to find where she truly belongs."

Billed as a tragicomedy, I loved this book!  Reading it stirred memories of my Irish Great-Grandmother and Godfather, the language, the sayings and the family situations. Shibby longs for her mother's love and doesn't understand how she could abandon her twin daughters. This is a story of loss, love, and families. Nanna Magee is all about appearances and holding her head high among the Parish Ladies even if her daughter-in-law is a Traveller. The reader is transported to another time and place, and it's easy to get lost in Shibby's story. I have been to Ireland and Kabak has captured the uniqueness of the Emerald Isle in her characters and dialog.  Fans of Claire Keegan will especially enjoy this book!

Irish recipes from Carrie Kabak - https://carriekabak.wixsite.com/home/copy-of-shibby-magee

Info on Irish Traveler's - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers

https://phmuseum.com/projects/the-irish-travelers

I received a copy for a review.

From her website - Published by Penguin Random House, Carrie Kabak's novel, COVER THE BUTTER, was an Independent Booksellers' Pick, won an Audiofile Magazine award, and was nominated for a Quills Award. Her essays appear in FOR KEEPS and HE SAID WHAT? (Seal Press), EXIT LAUGHING (North Atlantic Books), FAITH (Simon and Schuster), and DUMPED (She Writes). Carrie's latest novels, SHIBBY MAGEE and EVERY MOLE AND FRECKLE, will be released in spring and fall 2026, and MALI MORGAN'S SUMMER in spring 2027. Carrie's a regular online visitor at a UCLA Personal Essay course, where she discusses the art of essay writing. ​For more info - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/488321.Carrie_Kabak

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Gone Before Goodbye

 

Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2025. 340 pages. ****

From Goodreads..."Maggie McCabe is teetering on the brink. A highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, she has always lived life at the edge, where she could make the most impact. And it was all going to plan ... until it wasn’t.

Upside down after a devastating series of tragedies leads to her medical license being revoked, Maggie has lost her purpose, but not her nerve or her passion. At her lowest point, she is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague, an elite plastic surgeon whose anonymous clientele demand the best care money can buy, as well as absolute discretion.

Halfway across the globe, sequestered in the lap of luxury and cutting-edge technology, one of the world’s most mysterious men requires unconventional medical assistance. Desperate, and one of the few surgeons in the world skilled enough to take this job, Maggie enters his realm of unspeakable opulence and fulfills her end of the agreement. But when the patient suddenly disappears while still under her care, Maggie must become a fugitive herself—or she will be the next one who is ... Gone Before Goodbye"

This was the perfect read for a snowy weekend; I thoroughly enjoyed it. While author collaborations aren't always perfect, the story held together for me. I enjoy Coben's thrillers and there were enough twists and turns to hold my attention. The relationship that Maggie has with her father-in-law, Porkchop, a biker, is priceless. We all need that no matter what person who has our back especially when others are not who they seem to be. Reviews are mixed on this one, however, I found it to be entertaining and a perfect escape from the news channel and the snow!

Griefbots - https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2025/02/07/griefbots-blurring-the-reality-of-death-and-the-illusion-of-life/

Harlan Coben - https://www.harlancoben.com/reese-witherspoon-harlan-coben-novel/

Reese Witherspoon - https://reesesbookclub.com/

Interview on their Collaboration - https://www.npr.org/2025/12/31/nx-s1-5137288-e1/reese-witherspoon-and-harlan-coben-on-their-new-novel-gone-before-goodbye

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You Killed Me First

 

You Killed Me First  by John Marrs. Seattle : Thomas & Mercer, 2025. 381 pages. ***

Told in the alternating voices of three women, neighbors with secrets that include each other's families. It's November and one of the women wakes up tied and gagged in the middle of a wood pile for the neighborhood bonfire. The events leading up to her confinement set the stage for why there is a killer in their midst and how she has changed her identity to hide her past killings. No one is who they seem to be, and alliances are formed to protect their misdeeds. 

I really enjoy psychological thrillers and this is a complicated story with many twists and turns. At times, there were a few subplots that seemed to intentionally confuse the main plot. Fans of B. A. Paris will enjoy the psychology of the killer's intentions. 

John Marrs is an author and former journalist based in Northamtonshire, England. After spending his career interviewing celebrities from the worlds of television, film and music for numerous national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time author. 

For more info, https://www.johnmarrsauthor.com. 

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Skylark

 

Skylark by Paula McLain. New York: Atria Books, 2026. 464 pages. Good Morning America January Book Club pick.

I received two copies from the Publisher, Atria books, through the Little Free Library to share in my LFL. Stop by and claim one or check out the latest books. 

To watch this morning's GMA interview with the Paula McLain, click Here.

From Amazon - "1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at the famed Gobelin Tapestry Works, who secretly dreams of escaping her circumstances and creating her own masterpiece. When her father is unjustly imprisoned, Alouette's efforts to save him lead to her own confinement in the notorious Salpêtrière asylum, where thousands of women are held captive and cruelly treated. But within its grim walls, she discovers a small group of brave allies, and the possibility of a life bigger than she ever imagined.

1939: Kristof Larson is a medical student beginning his psychiatric residency in Paris, whose neighbors on the Rue de Gobelins are a Jewish family who have fled Poland. When Nazi forces descend on the city, Kristof becomes their only hope for survival, even as his work as a doctor is jeopardized."

Ratings are 4.4 out of 5. 

Paula McLain is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, and Love and Ruin, as well as two collections of poetry and a memoir. For more info on her, here.

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