Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

I like a good space opera and am a big fan of John Sandford's murder mystery books, so I was all in when I saw Sandford had collaboratively written a sci-fi book. He didn't disappoint.

It's 2066, and what is presumed to be a spaceship is spotted approaching Saturn by an intern at Caltech. Hoping to keep its appearance a secret, the US government, under the guise of joining an already planned Mars colonization trip planned by China, hopes to be the first country to Saturn to see what is happening. A crew of the best and brightest is quickly assembled, a space station is retrofitted into a galaxy-crossing ship, and the American crew, led by Captain Fang-Castro, settles into the long voyage. Unfortunately for the US, the alien spaceship is spotted leaving the planet, and now the race is on between the US and China to get to Saturn.

What follows is what can be best described as a space thriller. This engaging story has twists, subplots, and perhaps a saboteur. There are sections of hard science fiction that I admit to skimming as they didn't pique my interest, nor could I understand them. The story and characters are excellent and, typical of Sandford's writing, there is humor and great dialogue as the story unfolds quickly. Although he's no Andy Weir, Sandford produces an engaging story in collaboration with Ctein that captured my imagination. 

 4/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Guest by B. A. Paris

This is the first book by this author I've read, and based on it, I will certainly read more.

Iris and Gabriel are going through a rocky spot in their marriage. The tension between them isn't helped when they return home from a vacation and find their friend Laure has left her husband Pierre and moved into their house. Laure is constantly underfoot and knows no boundaries, and as her stay doesn't seem to be ending any time soon, both fragile marriages are put to the test. Iris turns to her new neighbors for emotional support, but they, too, have a guest in the form of a mysterious gardener whose secrets Iris and Gabriel try to unravel. The tension continues to mount as the couple's lives become more intertwined.

Although not particularly fast-paced, this is an interesting story with secrets abounding. There are twists, but mostly, this is about the delicate nature of relationships. There are deaths, some of which I didn't find especially plausible. Overall, I found this to be a satisfying psychological thriller. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 20, 2024.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Lethal Vengeance by Robert Bryndza

 I enjoy Robert Bryndza's Kate Marshall and Erika Foster murder mystery series, and this Erika Foster offering is one of the best so far.

Erika stumbles upon a murdered politician who is hog-tied and suffocated, but before she can get her team together, she is taken off the case, and the death is quickly ruled as natural causes. When another high-profile victim is found, killed in the same manner, Erika digs in her heels and battles upper management to take charge of the case. During her investigation, she uncovers another similar killing, and the hunt for the serial killer is on. The only thing known about the perpetrator is that she is a sex worker who leaves explicit photos at each crime scene, signed "Annabelle." What she looks like, and her motivation is another mystery the team needs to solve to catch the killer before she strikes again.

As usual, Bryndza does an excellent job of plotting and pacing to keep up the tension throughout the book. The reader follows Erika and Annabelle in their cat-and-mouse game, with Annabelle seemingly one step ahead. The more I got to know Annabelle, the more I was rooting for her--odd, I know, but she is so well drawn it was hard not to. Although this is the eighth book in the series, there are sufficient details to read this as a standalone and not feel lost. However, I recommend reading the entire series because it is so good.

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing, for furnishing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 8, 2024.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

 This is a murder mystery with all the twists and turns you'd expect, but something I didn't expect in a fantasy world. What a fun ride.

When a high-ranking officer is murdered by the administration of a contagion that causes a tree to erupt from his body, investigator Ana Dolabra and her new assistant Dinios Kol are tasked with finding the perpetrator. Ana, whose unorthodox methods are often at odds with her straight-arrow assistant, is quick to make associations that involve a far-ranging conspiracy. Ana and Din aren't sure how far up the imperial ranks the scheme extends, but as they close in, they realize that the Empire and perhaps their lives are in peril.

Excellently written with humor and intrigue, this story is engaging with beautiful characters, especially Ana and Din. Both are entertaining, and their combined skills make them a formidable crime-solving duo. The world they inhabit is atmospheric and dangerous. I was happy to see this is the first book set in this world with these two larger-than-life characters. If you like murder mysteries and fantasy, I highly recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Among the Living by Tim Lebbon

I read Tim Lebbon's post-apocalyptic book "The Last Storm" and loved it. It had a fascinating storyline that could convincingly be true--the same can be said of this book. It's another futuristic peek into what could happen to the world due to global warming.

Global warming has thawed the permafrost on a remote Arctic island, and a group of profiteers, illegally prospecting for rare earth metals, discover frightening drawings on a cave wall that appear to be a warning that is thousands of years old. Venturing further into the cave system, the group encounters an ancient creature and unwittingly unleashes an intelligent contagion that could wreak havoc if it isn't contained.

Alerted to the profiteer's intentions, three activists pursue the group to the island, intent on stopping them. Unfortunately, they arrived too late, and now the two different-minded groups must combine their efforts to stop the contagion.

This fast-paced horror thriller explores moral and climate crisis issues with excellently drawn characters and a scenario that isn't beyond belief. Who knows what a warming earth holds in store for us? This is an imaginative future I hope we can prevent.

Thank you, Titan Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 6, 2024. 

4/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt

 Reading a nonfiction book can be dicey. I have read some that were so scholarly that I felt I needed a Ph.D. to get through them. Others, especially Erik Larson's books, safely navigate the waters between well-researched and eminently readable. Douglas Brunt's account of Rudolf Diesel's life and mysterious disappearance falls into this later category.

In September 1913, a body was found floating at sea, and although it was not recovered, items found on it led family members to believe it was that of Rudolf Diesel, who went missing on a crossing of the English Channel. How did he come to be in the water? Did he accidentally go overboard? Was it suicide? Or, more ominously, could he have been murdered?

Documenting the life of this unique individual who rose from poverty to invent one of the most critical engines in history, this book details not only the many obstacles Diesel overcame but also brings to life the era and the people around him. He fought an uphill battle trying to convince the industrial world of the superiority of the Diesel engine and its application to everyday life. Diesel was an inventor and a humanitarian whose vision of a better, less polluted world was a life goal.

This book is part biography and part page-turning mystery.  It is both insightful and suspenseful, with a twist I bought into. The arguments about what happened to Rudolf Diesel on that fateful crossing are well-reasoned and clearly presented. I now have a better appreciation of the Diesel engine and the man behind it.

5/5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dead Man's Grave by Neil Lancaster

 I saw this series recommended on Twitter (Sorry, Elon, it will always be Twitter to me) by an author I like. I also like British police procedurals, and this one sounded good, so I thought I'd try it. I'm glad I did, but I don't know if I'll keep reading it--I think I have too many good series reads to take one another. But never say never.

Tam Hardie is the head of a family that controls the drug trade in Scotland. He is also into genealogy, and his quest for an ancestor's grave leads him to a remote cemetery and a marker reading "this grave never to be opened." He is murdered, and his body is placed under the marker. Detectives Max Cragie and Janie Calder find the body and discover the death is a result of a blood feud between two families that dates to the 1800s. Knowing that Tam's death will resurrect the feud, they try to head off more killings, and in doing so, find themselves not only up against the Hardie family but corruption in Police Scotland as well--both are trying to hinder their investigation.

This is an excellently paced novel with a hook that grabbed me from the beginning with the grave and its ominous warning. The action didn't let up, and the investigation details rang authentically.  This is the promising start to what may be an excellent series, and I liked the two detectives so I may revisit this series to check in on them.

4 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble