THE HALF LIFE'.......A NAVY WIFE IN ITALY COPES WITH ADULTEROUS ROMANCE.....AND RADIOACTIVITY....(*****)

The Half Life by Rachel Beanland (2026)

     This is one of those richly imagined books that sweeps you into a different (but still very contemporary) time and place.......with vividly drawn characters and some real history as a backdrop for the lead heroine's life altering journey. I don't often immerse myself in lengthy literary fiction but this one really had me in its grip.

     We're back in the early to mid 1970's, where 23 year old South Carolina girl Eileen marries naval officer Paul Archer, who's in the long training programs to eventually attain his own nuclear submarine command. Paul's assignments take him and his bride to the picturesque Mediterranean island of Maddalena, where the U.S. Navy has established a submarine station for monitoring the safety and maintenance of the subs' nuclear reactors.

     It's an idyllic and but turbulent setting that Eileen finds herself hurled into........a foreign country, whose customs and language she tries to absorb as she navigates her way through the duties and etiquette expected of navy wives. The Italian islanders fear and distrust the navy's ability to keep radiation from the subs out of their ocean environment and the rise of the country's agitating anti-American Communist party only fans the flames.

     Eileen's independent spirit and sharp intelligence can't help but emerge, often putting her at odds with Paul and the whole U.S. Navy culture, where she's supposed to only play the role of supportive wife. But her embrace of new found Maddalena friends includes a growing romantic relationship with a young Italian investigative journalist (who's got the navy in his crosshairs). And amidst all these complications, the erupting anti-Navy protests combined with catastrophic nuclear sub mishaps put Eileen's life and marriage at a pivotal crossroads.

     Author Rachel Beanland brings all of this to page-turning life- the stunning Mediterranean islands, the push and pull of actual events (such as the fall of both Richard Nixon and the Vietnam war, the chaos of 70's Italian politics, and the alarming science of the dangers ushered in by the Atomic age. And then throw in that passionate adulterous affair to all that and you've got yourself one doozy of a read.

     My highest recommendation goes to this one. And I for one can't wait for some streaming service to turn this into an all night binge-worthy mini-series.

      5 stars (*****).

     

HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB.......IN LA LA LAND, THESE GIRLS TURN '#ME TOO' INTO '#YOU DIE'......(****)

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead (2026) 

     In no way could I reasonably defend this book's tumultuous collision of multiple tropes, its crazy character development and its loony turns of plot. Nor would I even try.

     But I had soooo much guilty pleasure fun reading it, I simply cannot deny it its four stars. Hot Girls forever....long may they reign and bring moguls the pain......
  
     It's an overheated combination of pop culture toxic waste, pop music and some bloody girl-boss revenge on the Patriarchy of sybaritic Hollywood......and then all of that put into into a blender with hot button divisive politics, domestic terrorism and the sadism of entitled entertainment industry power players..

     Or in simpler terms, it's a Party in the USA.

     All of the above swirls around pop sensation Scout Sage and her coterie of empowered drop dead gorgeous women. Do these stunners really comprise some kind of hit-babe squad dedicated to arranging suspicious deaths of the most notorious entertainment industry abusers of women?

     L.A. detective Gray Holloway comes to think so, investigating Sage and company and at the same time moonlighting as a 'bottle girl at a shady club, serving up drinks to big tipping VIPs. (and no, I swear I'm not making up that last part.) Gray and Sage share more in common than hunter and quarry - years ago, they both lost beloved sisters at the hands of......well that's another two stories slowly revealed in flashbacks.

     I could go on and on about all the other subplots tossed into the stew here including the ominous rise of a filthy rich bigwig turned populist political candidate, an investigative reporter digging into the mysteries of the Sage posse, and a progressive activist who's trying to hitch a ride on Sage's fan base.....but I'm exhausted just writing this paragraph. Think of this book as a three ring circus of Tik-Tok melodrama and Instagram insanity. And not everyone's coming out of it alive.

     One of those books you can have yourself a ball reading, without believing a minute of of it, Strife-styles of the Rich and Infamous. We hate 'em, we love 'em......especially when they're piled up a mile high in a book like this one.

     4 stars (****).

CROSS MY HEART I HOPE YOU DIE......REVENGE SERVED COLD......LIKE, REALLY COLD ON TOP OF A SNOWY MOUNTAIN.....(****)

 Cross My Heart I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold (2026)

     First let's take a moment to roundly boo and hiss Jason, who's carrying on heartfelt romantic relationships with three women simultaneously, each one unaware of each other and also unaware they're each being played for suckers by a serial con artist. This slimy snake has convinced two of them, Nora, a school athletic coach, and Ruby, an elfin, sweetly vulnerable kindergarten teacher to lend him huge amounts of money. From expert car mechanic Cham, he asks for the loan of her precious set of repair tools which she depends on to make a living.

     A worthy setup, especially after Jason ghosts his three victims and disappears in the wind. But here's the point where you'll have to prepare yourselves for this book to take some wild left turns into twist-every-other-minute weirdville. Nora, Ruby and Cham, discovering they've been fleeced and abandoned by Jason, plot to smoke him out, trap him and recover what he stole from them And what better place to do it than a remote cabin that orphaned Ruby inherited from her biological parents.. The place sits atop a snowy mountain, only accessed by a creaky gondola and there's rumors of a terrifying cult up there that may or may not still lurk about. Uh oh........

     Yes, the determined ladies lure Jason up to the cabin for an overdue reckoning but from there, every possible thing goes horribly awry in ways I would never speak of out loud. I'd much rather let readers fully savor the twist-filled, blood-soaked surprises that erupt on that creepy, scary mountain top.

     I also would not advise anyone to stop and ponder if any of what transpires here is even remotely believable. Just take a deep breath and keep zipping through those pages, enjoying each new nutty revelation as they come flying out at you. .It's a loopy thrill ride that you won't want to get off of until you're satisfied to see who's left standing......and still breathing.

     One thing I'm not sure of......that little semi-cliffhanger joke on the last sentence. You'll want to decide for yourselves whether it's very clever or very dumb. I'm leaning a little toward clever, since I'd already embraced the book's non-stop lunacy and carnage with open arms. Have fun with this one.

     4 stars (****).

KILLER VIBES.....HE'S LAZY AND STONED.....BUT MAYBE A COOL DETECTIVE....(****)

 Killer Vibes by Jack Friday (2026)

     I am happy to be among the first to welcome an all new quirky detective who promises to become the most unlikely crime solver ever. But give him a shot because he's brighter than he looks and the first case that falls into his lap involves severe home renovation, a stash of cash in the wallpaper, vicious thugs, a lost lost cousin, a sexy bank officer and lethal explosives.

     Peter Key's a shiftless, bisexual Texas slacker who holds no great ambitions beyond getting high and doing as little as possible. Suddenly, via a recently passed away long lost uncle, he's the inheritor of a crumbling Austin mansion. The place looks ready for 10 episodes of "Hoarders" and to Peter's dismay, also comes with massive debt from loans the uncle took out from the local bank. The neighborhood also comes equipped with a host of aggressive, intrusive people who want Peter to sell them his house immediately.

     But our budding, would-be ace detective smells something rotten besides the junk piled up in his dumpy abode. And it all leads to the tangled web his uncle left behind and whose traffic accident death appears more suspicious than ever. . Luckily for Peter, he manages to fall under the protection and mentorship of a seasoned Private Eye. That's a good thing indeed considering the sinister threatening people who've come out of the woodwork. none of them with Peter's best interests at heart.

     I loved the undercurrent of dry, dark humor that runs throughout the book and I only wish there was more of it or at least a little more overt. I got a kick out of watching the initially unwilling Peter discover his perceptive talent for sniffing out who's up to no good and why. To everyone's surprise, including his own, Peter finds something he's actually good at. And his exciting climactic showdown with a truly creepy major villain is reminiscent of John Dl McDonald's 'Travis McGee' series.

     So I extend a warm welcome to Peter Key as he joins the hallowed halls of oddball detectives and look forward to his next case (as well as the little Scooby-Doo bunch of friends and allies he collected on this first outing.

     4 stars (****).

THE SIMP: A NOVEL WITHOUT A HERO..........A STRIVING ACTOR FROM INDIA, SWIMMING WITH HOLLYWOOD SHARKS.....(****)

The Simp: A Novel Without A Hero by Roshan Sethi (2026) 

     Disturbing, cringe inducing, vicious and unforgiving in its satire.......and ultimately, a sad depressing commentary on its lead character and the shark infested waters of the toxic ocean he chose to swim in.

     But once I started "The Simp", I couldn't turn away from it. Readable to the max, the book felt like I'd spent time rubbernecking a horrendous one car traffic accident happening in slow motion.

     Flawed as he is, I felt compelled to follow the calamitous journey of struggling actor from India Raj Ladlani. Raj is but one of multitudes of aspiring (and perspiring) actors trying to break into L.A.'s film and TV industry......where actors have a better chance of hitting the PowerBall Lottery than snagging even a small role. Raj tries to persevere, knowing that if ever given the opportunity, he's capable of gifted work. And he's encouraged by Anthony, his beloved mentor and acting coach.

     With the goal of a flourishing acting career more likely out of his reach than ever, Raj takes on a different kind of performative work...... ..getting hired as an administrative assistant to a married Hollywood power couple, an impossible job that's a combination of secretary and indentured slave. Raj plays the role of a groveling, simpering, always solicitous toady so well that he actually annoys and confounds his employers. Film director Jim and his wife Anna,, both working on scripts, treat Raj with a mixture of entitled contempt alternating with surprising moments of friendship and dependency.

     But through all his time spent with Jim and Anna, Raj struggles to contain the simmering anger boiling within him and the urge to break away from the 'Simp' role he's playing in real life all to0 well. And when he finally does.......the chain reaction of events becomes nothing like anyone would expect.

     Author Roshan Sethi creates a truly one-of-a-kind character in Raj, whose efforts to become the hero of his own story keep you in a state of constant wincing on his behalf. The book's cleverly set in the early post-COVID years, with film industry's oncoming embrace of diversity and representation. The knowing, witty evisceration of Hollywood power players and the pampered bubble they live is brutal......(and given their behavior and the general quality of their creative output, well deserved..)

     Fascinating from beginning to end and not kidding about its declaration as 'a novel without a hero'. But I still couldn't stop reading to the very last bittersweet moment.

      4 stars (****).

PRETTY DEAD THINGS.....CONTESTANT BEAUTIES AND MOMS.....DEEP IN THE DARK HEART OF TEXAS.....(****).

 Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox (2026)

     Nothing promises more nasty fun than a Heartland beauty pageant packed with past murderous secrets, overbearing pageant moms, teen contestant rivalries, an unsolved missing girl case, an oncoming dark 'n stormy night..........and dead bodies poppin' up here and there, just to make things interesting........

     Kelsey Cox delivers all of the above in "Pretty Dead Things"", so welcome to the Lone Star Princess Pageant of Anhalt Texas, where staying alive is the key to make it to the end of the show..

     It takes a chapter or two to sort out the moms and their contestant daughters. Pageant organizer and all around ruthless force-t0-be-reckoned with Kennedy Claire thinks daughter Sara Lynn is a shoo-in for the crown, just as Mom was 25 years ago. Melanie, still wounded from Kennedy Claire's adolescent Mean Girl bullying, has high hopes for her own daughter Hannah. Recovering alcoholic Cat worries that her daughter Olivia's chances (and life) are threatened by Kennedy Claire, The cutthroat KC wasn't above dirty tricks sabotage to assure her own win and now appears willing to do the same for Sara Lynn.

     Adding to this bubbling stew comes the return to town of Ingrid, whose beloved twin sister Isabelle was the girl who went missing just before that pageant of 25 years past. Ingrid always blamed Izzy's then boyfriend Ben, who was deeply suspected but never charged.......and wouldn't you know it.....he's back in town too, just as literal storm clouds gather around pageant night. As the saying goes......none of this stuff bodes well for anybody.

     As you could imagine, everything that transpires next makes for fast addictive reading. And for those of us who positively live for final chapters that uncork all manner of outrageous twists......you'll not go away disappointed. "Pretty Dead Things" continues the time honored tradition that no good beauty pageant should go unpunished.

     4 stars (****).

THORNBIRD......THE TOWN'S NEW GIRL KEEPS HER REAL NAME A DEEP, DARK SECRET.....(****).....

 Thornbird by E. Kennedy (2026)

     You can't help but being swept up in the story of this New-Girl-In-School YA thriller. Because no new girl in school ever faced as many disturbing challenges as Ryan Shipley. The first of them being that her real name's actually Gabrielle Thorn, the daughter of infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn. Currently awaiting execution 10 years after his crimes, Thorn murdered and buried his female victims in as yet undiscovered locations. Little Gabrielle survived the slaughter but her mother did not. Taken in and cared for by her grandmother until the aged woman's passing, Gabrielle (now Ryan) must now move back to her original home town. to live with her aunt and uncle and teen cousins Jasmine and Connor.

     Living in the the little town of Starling under a pseudonym proves a necessity for Ryan. The murders. the mystery of the victims' remains and and impending execution of her father have stirred up a bonfire of anger among to the residents and a renewed mass media/social media feeding frenzy.. There's no telling what chaos and harassment might erupt around Ryan if her identity was revealed.

     But even as she struggles to keep her deepest secret, Ryan still finds her life upended in multiple ways. Anonymous messages threaten to expose her real name. To her increasing worry, her new school's star quarterback/golden boy has quite taken to her, a boy whose late mother was Gabriel Thorn's final victim. And the FBI now presses her to search her darkest childhood memories for any clues that could lead to the bodies of the murdered women and at last closure for their grieving families.

     Holy teen angst.....and you thought YOU had it tough in high school......

Author E. Kennedy keeps this book moving at a breakneck, one-day-read pace and as the dread and suspense pile up on Ryan, all manner of stunning twists and surprises reveal themselves, some of them unspeakably horrific and heartbreaking. 'Thornbird' definitely goes on my list of 'Top YA Page-turners' for this year. and that should sum up this review as best I can.

       4 stars (****).