Twice by Mitch Albom

I love time-travel books, and even though the protagonist in Twice travels back in time, he violates one of the primary rules of time travel: don't change the past. Indeed, the purpose of Alfie's visits to the past is to change it. With his gift, Alfie gets a second chance to undo any moment in time with the caveat that he must live with the consequences of his second chance.

When Alfie is eight years old, his mother dies and passes on the family legacy: the ability to travel to any point in time and change it. He only gets one shot at changing the past and must relive his life from that point forward. His mother warns him not to use the ability for financial gain or to change his love life. While he obeys the first rule, young Alfie uses his second chances to woo the girls. Later, he falls in love with Gianna and is determined to win her over. She's a tough nut to crack, but Alfie is persistent, and it looks like he has gotten his true love. Alfie then finds out why his mother said not to use his power to change his love life — once he undoes a relationship, that person will never love him again. With mistakes mounting, Alfie seems to be constantly pursuing love.

I liked how the book alternated between the present and Alfie's past to tell the story. The reader follows Alfie from his tentative use of his powers as a young boy to his reliance on his ability to change the past to make his life ideal, only to find he perhaps shouldn't have changed it. I raced through the book, only to be puzzled over the ending. I cannot expand on this without giving spoilers, so I'll leave it there. 

4.5/5 stars.

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Dead in the Water by John Marrs

 

John Marrs is the master of psychological thrillers. Each of his books features dark plots, flawed characters, and unusual twists. Dead in the Water is no different. Plus, Marrs brings back a character from his book, The Good Samaritan, to add to the mix. 

When Damon drowns, his ex-wife and best friend, Melissa, revives him. While dying, Damon relives parts of his life, but an unexplained moment featuring a dead boy follows him back to life--as does the dead boy. Tormented by what he has seen, combined with hallucinations of the boy, Damon seeks answers as to why the boy haunts him—convinced that the only way to solve the mystery is to die again. Against Melissa's advice, he drowns himself again, only to uncover more unsettling visions and hallucinations that follow him back to life. With each succeeding death and resuscitation, Damon realizes that his past is not what he believes it is, and he begins his search to uncover the truth. 

The plot is intriguing, the pacing pitch-perfect, and the suspense mounts with every page. As Damon finds out more about his past, it affects him in unimaginable ways. The reader follows Damon down the rabbit hole and witnesses his mental and physical decline. In typical Marrs fashion, all is not as it appears, and as one character says, sometimes the past is best in the past. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 20, 2026.

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Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

This science fiction book reads like a thriller with its breakneck pacing and twists. I do enjoy both genres, but the format made it clear that the long-term plan is to turn Detour into a streaming series; one of the authors alluded to this in his acknowledgements. I think the writing and character development suffered as a result.

John Ward, the world's richest man and presidential candidate, is partnering with NASA to orbit a spaceship around Saturn's moon, Titan. The goal is to gather information for future colonization. To this end, Ward has assembled an unlikely crew comprising three astronauts, a physicist, a police detective, and a graffiti artist — all of whom have ties to Ward. The story then moves quickly through the details about training the crew, the technology behind the spaceship, and the first year in space. 

The crew is just circling Titan on the way home when a navigation anomaly and two explosions occur. Although unexplained, neither causes harm to the crew nor the ship. Back on Earth, the crew is isolated and told not to communicate with each other, which they, of course, immediately figure out a way to do. Trading stories, they find that each of their lives is not how they left it — relationships have changed, and things are generally different. With Ward and unseen forces trying to control them, the crew bands together to uncover the truth about their circumstances.

I found the plot interesting, but the delivery stilted. The time shifts were not seamless, and not enough detail was given about the many stages needed to complete the mission. I liked most of the characters, and each brought a unique perspective to the storyline. Overall, I liked the book. Had it not read like an episodic television series, I would have liked it better. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Worlds, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 13, 2026.

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The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

About the only genre I avoid is romance. Judging by the number of romance books out now, I seem to be in the minority here. This book, tagged as folklore and fantasy, is primarily a romance novel. An otherwise remarkable story, beautifully written, lost a star rating from me because of this.

Historian Owen Mallory, a former soldier dubbed a coward, is enthralled with the story of Una Everlasting, a knight and dragon slayer who dies for her queen and country. During his scholarly research into the tale, he receives a mysterious book about her, which a war minister then steals. When Mallory tries to retrieve it, his blood spills onto the book, and he is transported back in time, meets Una, and accompanies her on her last quest: to slay the last dragon and retrieve the grail for the dying queen. What he doesn't anticipate is that the two will fall in love, and Mallory is forced to recount and relive Una's death over and over again.

I'm a sucker for time-travel books, and The Everlasting is a good one. As I stated, the writing is exquisite, and I loved the way Mallory and Una tried to change history. The characters are well-developed, and I especially liked Una's horse. I wouldn't have read the book had I known about the romance element, but I skimmed the sex scenes and some of the overwrought narrative, and enjoyed a well-told tale. 

4/5 stars.

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The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

 In this sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me, Dave delves into the background and motivations behind Owen's sudden disappearance in the first book. There were some loose ends at the end of that book, and this sequel, while not tying them up in a neat bow, did offer some explanations.

It has been five years since Hannah's husband, Owen, went into hiding. Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have relocated to Southern California when a disguised Owen briefly appears to warn Hannah that they are again in danger. Knowing this day would come, Hannah is prepared and immediately gathers up Bailey and begins their escape. At the same time, Bailey's grandfather, a former lawyer and secret-keeper for a group known as the organization, dies. News of his death devastates them both, and Hannah can't shake the feeling that the threat to their lives and his death are connected. Hannah's goal is to keep Bailey safe and to reunite with Owen by whatever means necessary.

Although engaging, the flashbacks, mainly dealing with the grandfather, made for choppy reading. That, plus the improbability of Hannah's escape plan, made me suspend disbelief at times. The main themes of friendship bonds and forgiveness drove the story. I was expecting a thriller similar to the first book, but this was more background material for that book. Dave did a good job of detailing the relationship between the crime boss and the grandfather, which was pertinent to the plot. Still, despite her efforts, neither character came across as particularly likable, and neither of their past actions seemed forgivable. 

3/5 stars.

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

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The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

This is the second book in the two-book "Wolf" series, The Grey Wolf being the first. This is a classic Louise Penny book — fast-paced and intriguing. The only problems were the many times I had to suspend disbelief and the confusing ending.

After having thwarted a domestic terrorist attack, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is recovering at home in Three Pines. As he ponders a map and a notebook left behind from the attack, Gamache and agents Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste are convinced a second, more deadly attack is coming. But what and where, or who is behind it, they don't know. What they do know is that people high up in the government and their own police force are involved. Trusting very few around them, they seek to uncover the plot and the person pulling the strings, whom they dub the Black Wolf. It's a race against time with a cunning enemy who always seems one step ahead of them.

I love Louise Penny's writing and the characters she creates. The Black Wolf is a ripped-from-the-headlines book with a plot that, while at times far-fetched, is just believable enough to make parts seem plausible. Where it fell apart for me was the confusing ending and the motive of the Black Wolf. I was left scratching my head. 

3/5 stars.

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Matter by Iain M. Banks

 Iain M. Banks was a master at world-building. He died all too soon, but his books, a legacy that is seeing new life in the US, are amazing in their scope and vision.

When Prince Ferbin sees his father murdered by his right-hand man after suffering an injury in battle, he knows his own life and that of his younger brother are in danger. Thinking of his sister, Djan Seriy Anaplian, who left their planet years ago and became a Culture Special Circumstances agent, Ferbin and his servant flee their home planet in search of her. Meanwhile, Djan Seriy has heard of her father's death and the supposed death of Ferbin, and begins making her way home. The youngest prince, Oramen, who is under the protection of the man who killed his father until he comes of age, has no idea that the man is plotting his death. Now it's up to Ferbin and Djan Seriy to try and save him.

This is the seventh book in the nine-book Culture series and is, by far, one of the most complex stories in the series. I loved the settings and the numerous characters that made this such a great read. With his signature humor, descriptive prowess, and spot-on dialogue, this book captures Ferbin's world and the role Culture plays in the universe, transporting the reader altogether. All of the books in this series are different, but this novel's world-building is exceptional. 

5/5 stars.

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