Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

I loved the premise of this book: a stranger predicts the cause and age of your death. Assuming you believed her, what would you do? Live life to the fullest or try and cheat the death sentence? That is the dilemma facing the characters in this book.

On a packed flight, a woman stands up and goes down the aisle, pointing at each person in turn and telling them how and when they will die. She is so convincing that the passengers take her revelations seriously. Just who is this woman? Is she a psychic or a mentally deranged person? As deaths begin to occur, the hunt is on to find the woman and find answers to these questions. What follows is how a handful of the passengers take the news and a look at what provoked the woman to share the information.

This is excellently plotted, and the characters face interesting problems—some are moral dilemmas, and others involve life-changing decisions. I especially liked how the author revealed why the woman, Cherry, came to make the predictions. I also wondered how I would react to the news as I read the book. If I were told I'd live a long life, would I take life-threatening chances with the knowledge I'd survive? Would I be more frugal and more kind to those around me? This book both entertained and gave me reason to pause. 

4.5/5 stars.

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Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger

 

I'm doing it! I am finally accomplishing what I promised myself I'd do many years ago when I first discovered William Kent Krueger: I'm making progress reading his Cork O'Connor series. I just finished this fantastic second book, and book three is in the queue.

Trying to get her life in order, country music star Shiloh finds herself stranded in a remote cabin in Minnesota's Boundary Waters wilderness area when her friend Wendell Two Knives fails to return to guide her out. What she doesn't know is that men have killed Wendell and are now out to find and kill her as well. But why?

Meanwhile, her father has engaged Cork O'Connor to help him find her. They join a search party comprised of two FBI agents, Wendell's nephew, Stormy, and led by Stormy's ten-year-old nephew, Louis.

As both factions search for Shiloh, she attempts to escape the wilderness area, armed with only a crudely drawn map Wendell left for her. With winter setting in, Shiloh is now in a race against time while trying to evade those who want her dead.

I love Krueger's writing. His Cork O'Connor books expertly capture the wilds of Northern Minnesota and the people who live there. As with his standalone books, this series has memorable characters and excellent plots. The Native Americans who populate this book series add richness to the stories with explanations of their ancient and modern culture. All of these elements combine to form an engaging, entertaining story. 

5/5 stars.

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Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

I thought Kate Atkinson retired her Jackson Brodie character, so I was delighted to see this book featuring him. He's older, more tired, and funnier than ever.

Business isn't booming at Jackson Brodie's detective agency, so he readily takes the assignment to find a stolen painting. It isn't long before he finds two other art thefts and an elusive woman who may be behind them. One of the thefts, at Burton Makepeace manor house, whose owners have been selling off valuables and now are hosting murder mystery weekends to keep up with repairs, has also caught the attention of the police. Much to her chagrin, Brodie tries to partner with Detective Constable Reggie Chase- an uneasy partnership, but one proving fruitful. When a snowstorm isolates many of the characters at Burton Makepeace, can murder be far behind?

I love Atkinson's humor. The back-and-forth between Brodie and Reggie is laugh-out-loud funny. The characters and situations are similar to an Agatha Christie book, only humorously written. Atkinson is at the top of her game with this book. 

5/5 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 3, 2024.

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Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

The premise of this book sounded promising, and although I didn't know what the tag "Women's Fiction" meant, it didn't say "Romance," so I thought I was safe. Nope. I think women's fiction is another way of saying this is a romance story. I'm not fond of romance, but based on the popularity of authors specializing in this genre, I think I'm a minority. That was one of the reasons I was disappointed in this book, but just one.

After a whirlwind courtship, Josh and June quickly marry, much to the dismay of those closest to them. Wedded bliss quickly turns to horror when Josh is presumed drowned on their honeymoon. Flash forward ten years to 2022: June is now engaged to Kyle, and while photographing engagement pictures, she sure spots Josh in a crowd. Once June spotted him, she seemed to see him everywhere, including on a winery website in Napa, California. Could he still be alive?

The story then shifts to a winery in Napa in 1999. Bev discovers her husband has cheated on her. She struggles with his unfaithfulness, but not wanting to harm the reputation of their winery, she tries to overcome her feeling of betrayal.

I don't want to spoil the plot, and I've never discussed an ending, so I won't go into details, but I will say I found it hard to swallow. There are twists galore, and even though I wasn't invested in either June or Bev, I kept reading to see what would happen. I love wine, but I got tired of the explanations of the ins and outs of wine-making. I'd say this book was not my cup of tea, but saying it's not my glass of wine is more appropriate.

2/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 13, 2024. 

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Don't Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins

 I agree that this book compares favorably to the works of S.A. Cosby and Don Winslow. This noir crime novel bursting with colorful characters, intrigue, and action.

Addison McKeller has a beautiful home in an exclusive Memphis suburb, two beautiful children, and a husband with a flourishing international construction company. However, everything is in peril when her husband, Dean, disappears. Getting no response from the local police to her missing person report, Addison hires renowned private investigator Porter Hayes to find Dean. When Hayes begins digging, he uncovers some troubling details about Dean that will rock Addison's world. Not only is Dean living a lie, but he is also associated with some shady dealings involving dangerous figures that put all their lives in danger. Can Hayes find Dean and untangle the lies he has woven in time to save the family? It's a race against time, and lives are at stake.

This is an atmospheric novel that is fast-paced and contains a complex plot. The writing is crisp, and the dialogue is snappy. The subplots tie in nicely with the main storyline, and although I felt the ending was a bit rushed, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. If you enjoy Southern noir stories, I think you will enjoy this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is June 25, 2024.

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Horror Movie by Paul Trembla;y

 I loved Paul Tremblay's "The Cabin at the End of the World" and "Survivor Song" and liked "A Head Full of Ghosts" but didn't care for "The Pallbearers Club." So, I didn't know what to expect going into "Horror Movie." The premise sounded intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Thirty years ago, a small group of twenty-something filmmakers decided to make a horror movie on a shoestring budget. Although the film was completed, it was never fully released--only parts were uploaded to YouTube, just enough to gain a cult following. Now, Hollywood has decided to "reboot" the film on a much bigger scale. Only one of the original cast members is still alive, and he has been recruited as a consultant and to reprise parts of his role as "The Thin Kid.” Will this version successfully live up to the fanbase's expectations? And, what is more important, will the cast members survive the filming?

Spanning two timelines and incorporating the original script into the storyline, Tremblay does a tightrope walk between the filming of both versions of the "Horror Movie." The book slowly reveals what happened to the original cast members—sometimes a bit too slowly. Told in the first person by "The Thin Kid," there are times when the level of detail is overwhelming, spanning multiple pages. I skimmed parts because they didn't seem to move the story forward. The story also bogged down in the middle, but the ending was satisfying enough to overcome both problems. I liked this book, but it doesn't rank up there with some of Tremblay's other novels. 

3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is June 11, 2024.

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Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

 

Lisa Wingate has done it again! After her best-selling book “Before We Were Yours," comes another fascinating story of greed, corruption, and the children who were the victims. This time, the setting is Oklahoma, where children are being exploited for their land and mineral rights. This is another sad chapter in American history that is now being revealed.

It's 1909, and eleven-year-old Ollie Radley and two Choctaw girls, Hazel and Nessa, orphan wards of her parents, are at the mercy of their pedophile stepfather. When Hazel disappears, Ollie, fearing for their safety, flees with six-year-old Nessa into the wilds of the Oklahoma mountains and the safety she seeks at an old homestead.

In 1990, park law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell was appointed to the newly created Horsethief Trail National Park. She was met with a missing person, a mysterious death, an old burial site, and local resistance to the freshly minted park. Still grieving over her husband's death and adjusting to being a single parent, Val must prove herself to her fellow rangers and the local community. Her only allies are the twelve-year-old sister of the missing person, who has a history of "telling tall tales," and a fellow law enforcement officer from the Choctaw Tribal Police. Facing adversity at every turn, they unite to try and find answers.

This story is rich in historical information about the early days of the Oklahoma land grab and the injustices done to the native tribes. This topic was also explored in "Killers of the Flower Moon,” but Wingate's fictional characters show how the exploitation occurred on a large scale and zeroes in on the plight of the children. Using the two timelines and two strong females, Wingate adeptly weaves a historical fiction and a mystery novel that both informs and entertains. The story is told with empathy and hard facts that tugged at my heart and kept me wanting to know more. I highly recommend this book. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is June 4, 2024.

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Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 

This is my first time reading this author, although she is a familiar name with a proven track record for writing good thrillers. If this book is any indication, I will read her again.

Tweens Jessica, Norah, and Alicia form a sisterly bond over the abuse they suffer at the hands of Miss Fairchild in foster care. Afraid of being separated if they report psychological abuse, they cope as best they can instead of trying to fight a broken social services system. Would anyone believe them or do anything?

Flash forward to the present: bones have been found under the house where they were in care, and the trauma the three suffered and dealt with in different ways comes rushing back. Now, as adults, they have another chance to address the wrongs they were dealt in their childhoods. But will they be believed even now?

This fast-paced book, which travels back and forth in time and is told from multiple points of view, is gripping and poignant. I rooted for the three and was saddened by their helpless position. This is a psychological thriller with a couple of twists,  but it is more of a look at the problems of children stuck in social services and how powerless they feel. I also found myself relating to their situation and remembering my dysfunctional childhood more than I would have liked. Overall, this is a satisfying read. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is April 23, 2024.

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The Hunter by Tana French

 This is the second book featuring Cal Hooper and Trey Reddy. The first book, "The Searcher," was a twisty mystery that brought rural Ireland to life in a gritty, engaging story. This second book delves even deeper into the people of Ardnakelty, Ireland, and the vigilante justice they mete out to those who don't abide by their rules.

A heat wave has engulfed Western Ireland, bringing fears of selling off land or sheep to make ends meet. On top of this, scoundrel Johnny Reddy returns with Englishman Cillian Rushborough and tales of gold just waiting to be claimed. This news is a Godsend to those facing financial ruin, and even though Johnny isn't the most reliable man, the citizens of Ardnakelty see a possible out for their economic woes. Thinking they are pulling a con of Rushborough, they fall in line, not realizing there is a more significant con in play--one that will ruin them financially faster than the drought.

Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has taken fatherless Trey Reddy under his wing and is teaching her some skills to help her support her family. When Trey's father suddenly reappears, she is far from happy to see him. After Cal meets Johnny, he spots him for what he is: a charming grifter who is up to no good. Each develops a plan to stop Johnny, not realizing they are at cross purposes. Figuring out Cal's and Trey's plans, motives, and what Johnny is up to moves this story along.

I loved French's Dublin Murder Squad series—they were dark and compelling—but she outdoes herself with the characters Cal and Trey and their small Irish village. This is a moralistic story of revenge and the ties that bind; it sometimes left me wondering about my own moral compass. Loyalties are tested, and secrets are revealed in this raw, fast-paced novel. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric. I recommend reading "The Searcher" first, as events in that novel are referenced here. 

5/5 stars.

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Lost Colony: The Hennepin Island Murders by Steve Berg

I love it when I try a new author and am rewarded with an excellent read. Such is the case with this book and its author.

In 1986, Sweden's Prime Minister Olaf Palme was assassinated; his killer was never found. Flash forward to 2016 on a small island in the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul and the shocking murders of a Lutheran minister and the church custodian. Island residents, Reverend Maggie Lindberg and journalist Span Lokken are caught up in the investigation and quickly become allies, pooling their information and investigative skills to try and determine who would want to kill these men and why. Early indicators point to another island resident, wealthy and eccentric businessman, Jonas Kron, who has been very public in his feud with the late Reverend Hammar. It is apparent professionals carried out the killings and Kron is just the man with the money to orchestrate such a killing. But would he go that far?

Told from the points of view of Maggie and Span as well as the killers, this is an engaging story that captured my interest from the beginning. It is fast-paced, excellently plotted, and ties into the assassination of Palme with a surprising twist. This is Berg's first venture into writing fiction and he does an outstanding job. 5/5 stars.

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Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 

This book came highly recommended to me and I'm happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Helen were recruited by the Museum, a shadow organization of assassins who only killed people who needed killing. Now after forty years of service, they are given a retirement gift of a luxury cruise, but all is not what it seems when they spot another Museum operative who appears to be out to assassinate them. Barely escaping, they must find out who is behind the order to kill them and why. Coming together one last time, the foursome targets high-ranking members of their organization in order to save themselves.

This is a fast-paced, engaging read with wonderful characters I rooted for. The plot is twisty and action-packed and kept me up late to see how this fearsome foursome would prevail. The writing is excellent and the dialogue witty despite the danger the women are in. Seeing four strong women who work well together in an otherwise male-dominated genre is a treat. I recommend this book if you like a good action-packed mystery/thriller. 5/5 stars.

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The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger has to be one of the best storytellers out there. Although I haven't gotten far in his Cork O'Connor series--something I am determined to fix--I love all of his standalone books. They are expertly crafted with prose that begs to be highlighted.

It's Memorial Day, 1958, in Jewel, Minnesota, a small town that is the seat of Black Earth County. Not much happens around there so when the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found in the Alabaster River with a gunshot wound in his side, the town immediately begins to speculate: was it murder? An accident? Suicide? That's up to Sheriff Brody Dern to determine.

Tensions are high and gossipers are sure Noah Bluestone is involved. Noah is a decorated WWII veteran who is Native American and who brought home a Japanese bride after the war. Both his ethnicity and that of his wife don't sit well in Jewell. With all the righteousness of small-town bigots everywhere, Bluestone is tried in the court of public opinion and found guilty. It's up to Brody to protect Noah and his wife and still get to the bottom of what happened to Quinn.

This is an atmospheric, absorbing read that transports the reader to the years when The Great War, WWII, and the Korean conflict were still fresh in people's minds. There is a strong sense of place and time, rich with characters that make this a must-read book, especially in today's political climate when hatred of those considered different is once again on the rise. 5/5 stars.

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One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni

 

I can't believe this is the tenth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series and that I've been a fan since the beginning, eagerly awaiting each new installment. The series just keeps getting better and better.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite is still the sole member of Seattle's cold case department and often clashes with Chief of Police Marcella Weber as to what direction she should take. She is blindsided when Weber orders her to reopen the decades-old Route 99 serial killer cases in advance of a series of newspaper articles on them beginning on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the last killing. Not only that, Weber orders her to partner with her nemesis and boss, Captain Johnny Nolasco, who was head of the task force investigating the crimes when they first occurred. Nolasco and Crosswhite immediately disagree on their approach to solving the cases and things go downhill from there. 

As the investigation proceeds, Tracy begins to see connections between these cases and another case she just solved involving the disappearance of an investigative reporter that occurred at the same time as the serial killings. The more Tracy and Nolasco dig, the more the evidence leads them to powerful people, both past and present, who may not want the duo to solve the murders or continue at a cost they may not be willing to pay.

This book can be read as a standalone, but the reader is missing out on some excellent books by not reading the series. I especially liked how this book dovetailed with the storyline from Dugoni's last book, What She Found, and I can see where characters from both books could feature in future books. As usual, Dugoni's plotting, pacing, and writing are exceptional. The reader is also treated to perhaps the thawing of the relationship between Nolasco and Crosswhite, or at least an uneasy truce in their working relationship that is promising. I highly recommend this book and this series in general if you enjoy character-driven police procedurals. 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 October 3, 2023

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 

I'm a bit late to The Thursday Murder Club  fan base but I have arrived! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to start the second one in the series.

In the retirement community of Coopers Chase, residents Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim have formed a murder club in which they review old unsolved murders from files supplied by a former police detective. When an actual murder occurs close to them, they put aside the cold cases and focus their various skills on solving this much more interesting case. Their involvement often treads on the toes of the two lead detectives working the case, Chris and Donna, but they form an uneasy alliance that seems to produce results. When another murder occurs, the club and the detectives work to see if the two are connected and how. With multiple suspects and a time span going back years, the game is afoot.

This is a highly entertaining book with a complex plot and charming characters. There are red herrings galore and enough misdirections that kept me guessing who the murderer(s) could be. This is the start of what promises to be an excellent series and I'm on board for it.

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The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

 Once again Ann Cleeves weaves her magic in a book that grips the reader from the beginning and holds them throughout, capturing the natural beauty of the Devon coast at its deadly best.

The quiet village of Greystone is abuzz when the sailing legend Jem Rosco shows up and tells everyone he is there to meet someone, but he won't say who that someone is--adding to the gossip surrounding him. When Rosco's naked body is later found in a dinghy anchored in a cove during a raging storm, Matthew Venn and his team are called in to solve the mysterious death. 

Just as Rosco had ties to the area, so does Matthew Venn. Greystone has a large contingent of the religious cult he was raised in and he has old connections to some of the residents as well. Viewed suspiciously by the residents and coldly by the cult, Venn works to establish trust with both factions to try and solve this case. When another death occurs that is deemed suspicious, the race is on to find the killer.

I admit that Cleeves' old Shetland Island series and her current Vera Stanhope series are among my favorite reads. I also admit that I wasn't completely sold on her Matthew Venn series when it first started, but I'm happy to find that Matthew is growing on me. In this outing, we get more background on Venn and the circumstances of his upbringing. Having renounced the religious cult and then being thrown back into it to solve the murders shows how adept Venn is at dealing with all sorts of people. 

The plot and characters in this book are complex and the writing is excellent with enough twists and red herrings to keep the reader engaged. Once again, another engrossing police procedural by Cleeves.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 5, 2023.

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Dark Ride by Lou Berney

 This is the third Lou Berney book I've read (November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone being the other two) and Dark Ride is Berney at storytelling his best. His characters are well-drawn and the story engaging.

Hardy "Hardly" Reed is happy with his life. He has no ambitions, is currently working as a sheriff in a rundown wild-west theme park and is stoned most of the time. His aimless life takes an abrupt turn when he encounters Jack and Pearl, aged six and seven, on a bench in the Department of Motor Vehicles waiting for their mother. He notices injuries on the children consistent with abuse and knows he must do something. Fanagiling the mother's information from a clerk who helped her, he contacts Child Protective Service, only to have the caseworker walk off the job in the middle of his report! Frustrated by the inaction and bureaucracy, Hardly gains a purpose in life: save these two children. What follows is an often cringe-worthy journey for Hardly as he transitions from an aimless life into a person who realizes he is the only person who can save these two children.

I did enjoy this book although the description of the child abuse was sad. Hardly is a wonderful, hapless character. who, once he got a goal, shifts gears and goes into savior mode. His friends are quirky but big-hearted. All-in-all, this is another excellent story from Lou Berney.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy for review. The publication date is September 19, 2023.

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What She Found by Robert Dugoni

 

I admit that this series is one of my favorite police procedurals. Robert Dugoni continually delivers excellent stories that are adeptly plotted and contain interesting characters, both with this series and his many standalone books.

Tracy Crosswhite is still the lone detective working Seattle cold cases when she is approached by Anita Childress whose mother, investigative journalist Lisa Childress, went missing 24 years ago. Under pressure to investigate only old cases with DNA samples that modern technology could probably help solve now, Tracy secretly begins to look into what happened to Lisa. What she finds intrigues her enough that she begins digging into the case, knowing full well that Lisa is probably dead, but still hoping to find something that could give closure to her daughter. To her surprise, the more Tracy digs the more she realizes that what Lisa was investigating could shine the spotlight on potential corruption not just in the police department but in the upper reaches of the Seattle government as well. Working the case could also put some of her own close relationships in jeopardy and possibly put her life at risk. 

Even though I liked Tracy more before she got married and had a child, the family relationships certainly add a depth of character to her that was missing in the earlier books. She is still a dedicated investigator but now sees that balancing her life is important to her well-being, a thing many of us perhaps need to be reminded of occasionally. This is a far-ranging story with many subplots that all come together neatly by the end. There are some moral dilemmas Tracy and other characters face that test the bonds of friendship and the need for absolution. All-in-all, this is another good book in the series.

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The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

I wasn't a fan of the fortune-telling part in the book The Cloisters so I was hesitant when I saw the main character in this book was also a fortune-teller. It turned out that the use of cards in The Square of Sevens was so deftly woven into the story that I looked forward to seeing what the cards would reveal.

Red was orphaned at an early age when her father, a Cornish "cunning man", died and left her in the care of a wealthy gentleman scholar, Robert Antrobus. Her legacy is her knowledge of fortune-telling using the Square of Sevens technique. Although she no longer casts fortunes for money, she is still in demand even in the sophisticated society of Bath. Secure in the Antrobus household, Red delves into her past, trying to find out who her mother was and what happened to her. What Red finds not only disrupts her life but those of the wealthy De Lacy and Seabrooke families. Could she be related to them and, if so, could she be a long-lost heir? Finding out could put her life in peril as well as those closest to her. 

This is a beautifully written book that is intricately plotted and whose characters come alive in eighteenth-century England. It is a complex mystery with twists that kept me engaged throughout. Red is a wonderful heroine and her life, though often trying, is one such that the reader hopes she comes out on the winning side. I highly recommend this book.

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 September 5, 2023.

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Reykjavik by Ragnar Jonasson

 I always enjoy Ragnar Jonasson's books but this collaboration with Katrin Jakobsdottir is outstanding! Good story and excellent writing and pacing. It hooked from the start.

In 1956, fifteen-year-old Lara, who had been working for a couple on an unoccupied island near Reykjavik, vanishes without a trace after telling the couple she was going home. In the close-knit country of Iceland, this is a mystery that grips the country for years to come.

In 1986, on the thirtieth anniversary of her disappearance, journalist Valur Robertsson was assigned to rehash the case to see if he can find any new clues. What he finds not only sheds light on what happened to Lara but puts his own life in jeopardy.

This is an engaging story with an interesting cast of characters. The mystery of what happened to Lara not only gripped the citizens of Iceland but this reader as well. Just when I thought I'd figured out what happened to her, a new twist appeared that sent me off down another line of thought. If you like a good mystery, I highly recommend this book. It's a winner.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 5, 2023.

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The Night House by Jo Nesbo

 

I don't think Jo Nesbo can write anything but captivating stories with excellent characters. This book is no exception but it differs from his Harry Hole series or his other standalone books in its structure and genre.

After Fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved's parents die in a house fire, he goes to live with his aunt and uncle in the tiny town of Ballantyne, but he has problems adjusting to his new environment and classmates. Viewed as an outcast, Richard befriends fellow outcast Tom, who goes missing after he and Richard were last seen together. Richard swears Tom was eaten by a telephone after making a prank call. It's no small wonder that the police do not believe him. When another classmate goes missing after being in Richard's company, suspicion rises. Richard is convinced a long-abandoned house on the edge of a creepy forest is somehow responsible for his missing classmates, but how to prove it?

This is a horror story, not a police procedural. and it's great to see Nesbo playing around with a different genre. As usual, the writing and the characters are outstanding in this atmospheric novel. It is a story within a story and its structure and content may not appeal to all, but if you enjoy good storytelling, this book is just the ticket.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 3, 2023.

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