The Heights by Ian Rankin

I've been an Ian Rankin fan since discovering his John Rebus series many years ago. Along the way, he has written several standalone books, all equally satisfying. This book, however, didn't grab me. Between too many unlikable characters and slow pacing, I had a hard time getting into it.

The Heights is a luxurious apartment complex in the heart of London. It caters to the ultra-wealthy, offering amenities to satisfy their every need. Its tenants, a mixed bag, range from a pop star to a gangster's wife, but when the night concierge is killed after a party hosted by the gangster's wife, the tenants are subject to a police investigation, led by DS Gillian Gish. Their valued privacy is invaded, and their lives are upended as Gish and her team begin to pry into each tenant's movements. As the investigation deepens and secrets are revealed, Gish finds multiple suspects among the tenants. 

It was hard for me to keep track of the many characters; none of them was likable, and most had motives to kill the concierge. It took a while for the pace to pick up, and by then I was having trouble caring who the killer was. I'm a mood reader, and perhaps I was yearning for a different read, because this book didn't hold my attention. There were enough red herrings that I was surprised when the killer was revealed. Overall, this is a good crime novel, but not what I was expecting. 

3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cardinal, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is November 3, 2026.

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Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams

This is the second book in the Coldren County series, No Rest for the Wicked  being the first. This book didn't grab me from the first chapter the way the previous book did, but it is a good addition to the series. This book contains a warranted trigger warning. Set in a slaughterhouse, it is rather gruesome in parts.

Newly divorced, Dolores Hawthorne returns to a different town in Coldren County, Wisconsin, taking a job as a medical examiner and changing her last name to Diaz—a new start at putting the events of the previous Halloween in the past. When the body of a prominent businessman and philanthropist, Benedict Marcy, is found in his family-owned slaughterhouse, Dolores and the FBI begin investigating. They quickly find that Marcy and his family have some dark secrets that someone is willing to kill to keep buried. 

Many storylines from the previous book are carried over; for this reason, I recommend reading the books in order. The author fleshes out the characters and provides background on Coldren County, which causes parts of the story to drag. It is told from the points of view of Dolores and the newly minted FBI agent Kate Butcher, offering interesting insights into the investigation. What I didn't care for was one of the storylines from the first book that was neither germane nor resolved. There is also a hinted-at love interest involving a character I don't care for. I will give the series another go to see if the author resolves some of the issues. 

3.5/5 stars. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 6, 2026.

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The French Illusion by John Grisham

Grisham deviates from the legal thriller genre and delves into international espionage to highlight actions the United States has taken in the fight against terrorism. The French Illusion lays bare some not-so-palatable methods employed by countries, including the United States, in the name of counterterrorism. At times, a disturbing read, it is both informative and frightening.

Paul and Chelsea Tanner are on their honeymoon in Paris when they are abducted and held for ransom. Their parents, who pay the ransom, are told not to contact the police or FBI, but when the kidnappers renege on their promises, all bets are off. The FBI, CIA, and French intelligence get involved. The agencies discover that this is not the first American honeymoon couple to be abducted in Paris; indeed, it has happened two previous times, with similar results. Seeking to find a common bond in the kidnappings, they find that the three men are former military personnel who were deployed when the US was seeking Al-Qaeda terrorists. The CIA decides to send a couple undercover to try and get some leads on the location of the abductees. Carefully chosen, the pair are CIA operative Rae Claire Russo and former JAG lawyer Stuart Nash, who hope to convince the kidnappers that they are the real deal.

This is a suspenseful novel that highlights the moral dilemma faced by countries dealing with terrorism: how to identify the terrorists and what methods are allowed during interrogation. How far is too far?  Grisham does a good job of describing the ordeal of the kidnap victims and the motive of the kidnapper, such that I was left pondering whose actions were more justified. There is an e-short, The Law Student, that is a prequel to this book. 

4/5 stars. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 29, 2026. 

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The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the master of the police procedural. Her two other detective series are Vera Stanhope and Shetland, both of which are atmospheric and feature interesting characters and settings. With this, her fourth book in the Two Rivers series featuring the uptight Detective Matthew Venn, Cleeves again creates a suspenseful novel with an intriguing plot.

Lottie and Hannah are celebrating the end of their school exams at Hannah's family holiday home in Devon. Lottie, whose snarky social media posts about a local music festival riles the locals, is found dead, and few mourn her. When another body is found, Detective Matthew Venn is called in. Pressure mounts to find the killer when Hannah's father, a powerful political figure, brings attention to the case. Thinking that the reason for the deaths is buried in the past, Venn and his detectives face obstacles at every turn from both the local community and Lottie and Hannah's families. Some secrets are meant to be kept secret.

The character Matthew Venn is a polar opposite of Cleeves' other detectives. He is quiet and still battles demons from his childhood. It took me a while to warm up to him, but with each successive novel, Cleeves reveals another layer, making Venn more relatable. In this book, Venn also addresses personal issues involving his husband that leave him vulnerable. The book is wonderfully written, with a complex storyline that draws the reader in. The characters are nuanced and the plot well crafted. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 29, 2026.

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The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen

In this sixth book in the Department Q series, Carl Mork and his team tackle their most perplexing case to date. 

When a detective working on a cold case contacts Carl about taking it over, Carl ignores his plea, only to find that he later committed suicide and left a challenge for the Department Q team: solve the murder of a seventeen-year-old girl. 

The case takes them to a small Danish island in pursuit of a cult leader whose current name is eluding them. Working on old information, the team begins sifting through the past, only to find there may be newer killings connected to the man. Putting their own lives in danger, the team races to discover the identity of the killer.

This is a good psychological thriller that combines dark humor and a seemingly unsolvable murder. In separate timelines, it follows the presumed killer as the deaths mount, and Carl, Rose, and Assad as they try to untangle the web of lies and deceptions from the past and present. At times, I wanted to shake Carl and company up and tell them to look in a different direction for the killer. The relationship between Carl and Assad deepens as they get closer to the killer and put themselves at risk. Overall, this is a good addition to the series. 

4/5 stars. 

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Die Famous by Michael Koryta

 

Stephen King thinks Die Famous is the best gangster novel he has ever read. I agree; it's the best one I've read as well, and that's saying a lot. This book is both a family drama and a suspenseful, engrossing crime novel. 

It's the late 1930s, and Edward "Nickel" Terhune, a member of the notorious Brady Gang, is being hunted by both the FBI and his former lover, Savannah Cody. Savannah wants to kill him, and Hoover wants to send him to the electric chair; neither is what Eddie prefers. 

Savannah, her father, Wendell, a former railroad detective, and Alford, Eddie and Savannah's love child, are determined to find Eddie before the FBI does. Following clues left in his cell before the Brady Gang broke him out of a county jail and disappeared, Savannah and company embark on a multi-state journey that ends in a remote area of Maine where they suspect Eddie is holed up. Eddie, torn between his loyalty to the Brady Gang and his dream to lead a quiet life with his family, must choose his destiny.

This is an emotionally charged novel that is a study of a man trying to outrun his past. Told in parts by Savannah, Nickel, and Alford, the story draws the reader in and carries them along on the ride. Despite his gang association, I rooted for Nickel to elude Hoover and be the Eddie his family was determined to save. Poignant and atmospheric, this is a wonderful character study with a moral dilemma that is tough to solve. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 22, 2026.

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The Puppet Show by M. W. Craven

I've discovered a new police procedural series to follow. In this first book featuring Detective Washington Poe, M. W. Craven does an excellent job of laying the groundwork for future books; I'm hooked.

Detective Washington Poe has been suspended following less-than-professional actions that resulted in a death. But when three men are ritually burned alive in England's Lake District, and Poe's name is carved into the latest victim, indicating Poe may be the next victim, he is reinstated to work on the case. 

Paired with civilian analyst Tilly Bradshaw, a genius who lacks social skills, Poe and Bradshaw begin tracking down a killer who leaves no forensic evidence. Their only lead is the killer's connection to Poe's past and the secrets it holds. With the body count rising and the pressure to find the killer mounting, Poe and Bradshaw must walk a political tightrope to find the killer.

This is a dark but compelling read. Craven has created two characters who complement each other and make the read more interesting. He does a good job of fleshing out Poe and Bradshaw and their strengths and weaknesses. This is a pair that will be fun to follow. 

4.5/5 stars.

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