Impostor by LJ Ross

This is the first book in a series featuring psychologist Dr. Alexander Gregory. The series has done well in Great Britain and is now being published in the US. Based on this book, it's a promising psychological thriller series.

Dr. Alex Gregory, a former criminal profiler, is a psychologist at a mental health prison. Cathy, one of his patients who was convicted of killing two of her three children, is an interesting person who is in denial of her role in her children's deaths. She's intelligent and manipulative, and a challenge for Gregory. 

Meanwhile, a brutal murder occurs in a small Irish village, and the mayor appeals to Gregory to help. With no forensic evidence, the police rely on Gregory for help in finding the killer. Initially distrustful of Gregory, especially when he contradicts their theories, they soon realize that they are facing a perpetrator who is likely to kill again.

I found this to be a fast-paced thriller with multiple twists and red herrings. Both cases that Gregory is focusing on are intriguing. Cathy, especially, is a puzzle. The writing is good, the characters well-developed. In this book, Gregory is torn between his patients and his desire to return to criminal profiling. He is a conflicted but well-intentioned character. I look forward to the next book to see what path he takes. 

4.5/5 stars. 

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

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Never Flinch by Stephen King

 I liked King's Holly Gibney character in the first book she was featured in, Mr. Mercedes; she was unusual and quirky. Over the following books, however, Gibney lost those characteristics. In this book, she is a bland, predictable character, as is the plot. I quit reading halfway through and, as a devoted Stephen King fan, that says a lot. I have read all of his books and have always finished and enjoyed them.

Holly is unofficially consulting with Buckeye City Police Department Detective Izzy James on a case in which the police department received a letter outlining that "thirteen innocents and one guilty" person would die. They assume the letter is related to an innocent man who was murdered in prison. When the bodies begin to pile up, with each left with the name of a jury member who convicted the man, Holly and Izzy gear up to find this vigilante. 

Meanwhile, outspoken women's rights advocate Kate McKay is on tour promoting her controversial agenda with a planned stop in Buckeye City. When threats against McKay's life escalate, she hires Holly as her bodyguard. Now it's up to Holly to help find a serial killer and whoever is behind the threats on McKay's life.

This is a slow-moving book with a predictable plot. As stated above, Holly has become a one-dimensional character whom I no longer care about. I'll pass if King writes another book featuring Holly Gibney. 

2/5 stars.

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The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River is one of the best books I've read in 2025. Based on an actual person, this historical fiction novel is beautifully written and expertly plotted. This is the first book I've read by Ariel Lawhon, and I'm excited to read more of her work.

Set during the winter of 1789, the Kennebec River in Maine freezes, and travelers on the river discover a body in the ice. Midwife Martha Ballard is asked to examine the body and determines he was murdered, but a new doctor in town disputes her cause of death. It is his opinion that he died of natural causes, so Martha decides to defend her conclusion by finding the murderer. Also called into question is Martha's defense of a woman who claimed to have been raped by the murder victim and another prominent man. With her reputation at stake, Martha battles patriarchy and societal norms to ensure the truth comes out.

Lawhon does an excellent job of transporting readers to the period, revealing the roles of women in society and the discrimination they faced. Beautifully crafted with an engaging storyline, The Frozen River deftly handles the emotions of the rape victim and Martha's role in the small town. I highly recommend this book. 

5/5 stars. 

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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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