James by Percival Everett

 

This book lives up to the rave reviews and awards it won. It is a fantastic read that spotlights a secondary character from an American classic and makes him multidimensional with an interesting story. I recommend adding this book to any educational curriculum that includes Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to get the complete story.

The enslaved Jim hears he is to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separating him from his wife and daughter, hides on a nearby island to give himself time to figure out what to do next. Here he encounters the boy Huck Finn who, trying to escape his abusive father, has faked his death. Afraid he'll be suspected of killing Huck, the two team up and set out on a raft on the Mississippi River. Here is where Twain's and Everett's books go hand-in-glove to tell what happened to both characters on that trip.

This is a beautifully written and thought-provoking read. Everett does an expert job of taking a dark part of history and using it to focus on its effect on two individuals on different sides of the color line. Many of the encounters between Jim and members of the white race are horrifying, and although I'd like to think this type of racism is in our past, I sadly do not feel this is true. 

5/5 stars. 

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

 

This is the eighth book featuring former conman Eddie Flynn, turned defense attorney, and the first book in the series I’ve read. I found that it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the previous books; the author did such a good job of giving each character’s backstory that I found the premise of a con artist becoming a lawyer intriguing since many lawyers are portrayed as shifty characters.

Ruby’s early childhood was one of wealth and privilege until her abusive father gambled away most of their money and then disappeared. Now, Ruby earns a living working for the people she grew up with, barely making ends meet as she cares for her dying mother. When Ruby witnesses a wealthy socialite’s murder, her first thoughts aren’t of reporting it to the police but how she can make some money. 

Doctor Joe Johnson is charged with the murder, and the evidence is damning: the murder weapon is found in his home with his DNA on it. Knowing that he faces an uphill battle, Eddie Flynn agrees to represent Joe. However, proving Joe’s innocence isn’t Eddie’s most significant problem because he’s crossed the wrong person, and now there is a hitman after him. 

I liked Eddie and enjoyed how he outsmarted a mob boss and a prosecuting attorney while staying one step ahead of a hitman. There are good supporting characters, and I even rooted for Ruby toward the end despite her manipulative nature. The pacing is good, and there were enough twists to keep me guessing. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is March 25, 2025.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

In this richly imagined alternative history, Francis Spufford has created an atmospheric story rich in characters and a world I could believe in.

Imagine if Native Americans were not decimated by conquering invaders, but actually thrived. It’s now 1922, and Native American Detective Joe Burrow and his white partner, Phin Drummond, are called to a grisly crime scene. In the racially diverse but also racially charged city of Cahokia. A white male has been murdered in an ancient Aztec ritual slaying that amps up the racial tensions. What begins as a murder inquiry, quickly expands as politics come into play. Pressure is applied by rival factions and Joe doesn’t know who to trust—he even starts to question his own partner. Relying on his own wits and resources, Joe must find out who and why someone wanted the man killed, all before the city erupts into violence.

This is a brilliantly written and imaginatively crafted story about what could have been. It is a multilayered crime noir novel that, while sometimes gets bogged down in Joe’s navel gazing, redeems itself by delivering a memorable story I won’t soon forget. 

4.5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon| Barnes & Noble

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 I enjoyed The Plot and its peek into the world of writing, agents, and publishers. Its surprise ending was haunting. When I saw the author had written another book with many of the same characters, I was elated: maybe she would explore what motivated Anna to do what she did. My prayers were answered. This book focuses on Jake's widow, Anna, who has much to account for.

It's two years after bestselling author Jake Finch Bonner's death, and his widow, Anna Williams-Bonner, lives off his royalties while she decides what to do with her life. Anna writes a book at a writer's retreat, drawing on Jake's death for inspiration. The book becomes a bestseller, and the spotlight is now on her. With the notoriety comes scrutiny of her life, and someone out there knows too much. Anna receives an excerpt from a novel written by a person who is long dead, which could upset the success Anna now enjoys. Needing to know who the anonymous person is, Anna begins digging into Jake's past to see if she can find and neutralize the threat.

As I watched Anna wreak destruction in her quest to preserve her identity, I wondered how I could be rooting for her—yet I did. Korelitz does an excellent job of portraying cold-blooded Anna as a victim. The book starts slowly, but once Anna goes on the offensive, it picks up, and the suspense is palpable. I recommend reading The Plot before attempting this second book in the series; both are worthwhile. 

4/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

North Woods by Daniel Mason

 

What a fantastic book! Although it took a while to get used to the format, once I did, I was transported to a world of remarkable characters—all housed in a yellow house in the mountains of Western Massachusetts.

Seeking freedom from their Puritan colony, a couple escapes and builds a house in the woods. What follows are the lives and passions of the people who come to inhabit the house over the centuries: a soldier and his twin daughters whose apple orchard is the envy of the community, an escaped enslaved person trying to get to Canada, a landscape artist whose forbidden affair wreaks havoc, a mother trying to deal with her son suffering from schizophrenia, and many more. Each inhabitant leaves their mark on the house, and the house, in turn, sometimes offers more than just shelter.

I love how Mason interconnects inhabitants' lives; the house is also a character. The writing is superb, and the storyline is original and intricate. I found myself reading more slowly toward the end of the book because I didn't want it to end. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. 

5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Last Ranger by Peter Heller

 I always enjoy Peter Heller's books. I've read almost all of them, and each has been engaging. Nature plays a big part in his stories, usually along the man versus nature line, and The Last Ranger is no exception.

Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park. The highlight of his days usually involves unsnarling traffic jams and trying to keep stupid people from being killed or maimed by wildlife. He enjoys flyfishing in remote parts of the Park on his days off. On one such day, Ren encounters a suspected poacher chasing a bear with his dog. Ren can't prove the poaching or that he meant to kill the bear, but the man is on his radar. When a wildlife biologist studying the wolves in Yellowstone almost dies after being caught in a poacher's trap, Ren begins a full-scale investigation of the man. What he uncovers is both larger in scale and more organized than he thought.

Heller does an excellent job of exploring wolves' ecological impact and the challenges they face, both in nature and in man's presence. He highlights what a treasure our national parks are and how they are also in peril.

This is a wonderfully written novel with well-developed characters and realistic situations. It is suspenseful and well-plotted. Having been lucky enough to grow up near Yellowstone, this book tugged at my heartstrings. I loved the setting and the various storylines. 

5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

 I loved the first three books in this series*; even the fourth one, which read like a standalone, was good. This book is my least favorite. It had a good story, but it did drag in parts—nothing that a good editor couldn't have fixed.

This story is set a few years after the end of the third book, The Book of Life. The twins are now seven years old, and Mathew and Diana live most of the year in the US, where Diana teaches at Yale and Mathew is continuing his creature DNA research.

The school year is over, and the family is preparing to spend the summer in England when a letter arrives from the Congregation, notifying Mathew and Diana that it is time for the twins' magical abilities to be tested. At the same time, Diana receives a message from her great-aunt, Gwyneth Proctor, telling her that she must come to the Proctor family home of Ravenswood. Once at Ravenswood, Diana learns it is time to develop her higher magic skills, with Aunt Gwyneth as her tutor.

This story is good because it explores an area of magic viewed as dangerous in the previous books. Diana and Mathew must come to terms with the fact that Diana is an even more powerful witch than they previously believed. Overall, I did like the book, but I found the pacing uneven and got bogged down in places. 

3.5/5 stars.

* The previous books in the series, in order, are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and Time's Convert.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble