THE ANNIVERSARY.......TW0 DAMAGED SOULS, A YEARLY SERIAL KILLERS.....AND MULTIPLE TWISTS AND TURNS.....(*****)

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay (2026) 

     Now here's the kind of book that all mystery/suspense thriller readers hope and pray for. A book that grips you from page one, keeps you turning the pages furiously and makes you resent any mundane everyday tasks (like sleeping and eating) that force you to temporarily put the book down.

     From the start, we're invested in and intrigued by two high school opposites - most popular, most beautiful Jules and loner outcast wrong-side-of-the tracks Quinn. The night of May 1st changes the course of their lives for years to come. Jules becomes one of the rare survivors of the 'May Day Killer' now among the few young girls the serial killer decided, for whatever reasons, to let live. Quinn, jailed for assault in a fight he didn't start, is inducted into the Army. There he encounters nothing but combat violence and tragedy as well as having to return home to attend the funeral of his mother, a murder victim. Jules, now forever haunted by that horrific May 1st memory, leads a lucrative but not very fulfilling life as a well paid fashion model.

     Jules and Quinn's parallel lives finally begin to intersect when they've returned home, each bearing their own troubled memories. Jules' younger sister has gone missing, maybe the latest May 1st abductee. And Jules and some of her fellow 'May Day' killer survivors stay safely (they can only hope) under the FBI's surveillance and protection in case the 'Mayday' maniac returns to finish what he started.

    Quinn, now a dogged Private Investigator, pursues the abandoned cold case of a missing child as well the mysteries surrounding the death of his mother....for which a possibly innocent man currently stands convicted and jailed for the crime.  

     Author Alex Finlay surely knows his way around telling a story like this, and as a result, he'll put you in a "just-one-more-chapter' reading addiction until you reach those infinitely satisfying final pages. The startling twists more than accomplish their job of leaving you gaping in surprise while you're worrying like crazy over Jules 'and Quinn's ultimate fates.....and possible future.

     Easily one of this year's best thriller reads, and along with the 5 stars,(*****) I can't think of any higher recommendations .

THE LAST MANDARIN.....AN ESTRANGED MOTHER AND DAUGHTER VS. A GLOBAL CABAL STARTING WORLD WAR 3....(****)

 The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung (2026)

     A global thriller that pits superpowers against each other as a third unknown entity threatens to end the world? Oh yes, please.....sign me up.

     And on top of all that.....a global thriller that takes an utterly bonkers, thrill-a-minute detour into Indiana Jones territory? Complete with a wondrous archeological cave-scape overloaded with deadly booby traps? Light that torch and count me in......

     Granted, all of the above elements thrown into the pot by authors Louise Penny and Melissa Fung don't blend together easily. But the pace never lags, the mother-daughter lead characters are fascinating in their generational and culture clashes, and that 'Art-of-War' backstabbing between the Chinese and American power brokers has that breathless Tom Clancy feel to it

     Either a rogue terrorist group or an actual superpower nation have come up with with technology to inflict sudden, worldwide catastrophes capable of killing millions within minutes. Blaming China, the U.S. President turns to internationally celebrated Chinese dissident Vivian Li, a Tiananmen survivor with deep roots in her original homeland. And Li's estranged, raised-in-America daughter Alice has come along for the ride, since the mysterious death of Alice's dear friend relates to the calamitous events now befalling the world.

     While the powers-that-be in Beijing and Washington (some of whom may not be what they appear) struggle to avert World War 3, Vivian and Alice are off and running to pierce the very heart of this unknown cabal of conspirators. Though these terrorists wield unlimited high tech, they didn't count on Alice, of all people, becoming a cross between Nancy Drew and Indy you-know-who.

     I found very little of this even remotely plausible, but that didn't stop me from happily wallowing in all the high stakes diplomacy and thrill ride moments packed into the book. And even amid the constant life-threatening derring-do, authors Penny and Fung take the time to expertly insert ancient and recent Chinese history into their story and into the fierce passions of their characters.

     For anyone (like me) who simply cannot resist a countdown-to-world's-end, day-the-hotline-got-hot nailbiter, here's your steeping cup of tea waiting for you..

       4 stars (****).

THE COVE.....TROUBLED TEENS FACE HORRORS IN MAINE....(****)

 The Cove by Claire Rose (2026)

     I did have myself a great good time with 'The Cove'. a YA thriller that takes a wild rollercoaster ride through a variety of horror genres.......everything from 'Misdommer' to 'The Wicker Man' to, I kid you not, the Jewish Diaspora from Europe and a loony finale cribbed from Greek mythology.

     Our lead rebellious sarcastic loner, Lindsay Wineberg, has once again accomplished what she excels at - getting bounced out of another prestigious private academy. Right at the school's front door she finds her parents arranged a car ride straight up to her uncle's farm in Marbury Maine. Her uncle's supposedly out of town, but her aunt, a cruel evangelical harpy has assumed running the uncle's work farm for delinquent, troubled teens. And under auntie's iron=handed command, it's no phones and work, work, work for Lindsay and four other teen inmates.

     But something wicked is afoot in scenic Marbury, especially on a nearby tiny island populated by seemingly benevolent cultists.

     Yeah, sure they are. Then why did Lindsay and her farm friends wake up already in their farmhouse beds after partying hardy with the cult kids? And, with no memory of how they got there? And what happened to one of the farm kids who didn't make it back with them? Uh oh.....

     Lindsay and her surviving outcast Scooby gang find themselves up against a formidable horrific threat, but even in harm's way, Lindsay's never at a loss for a snarky teen riposte in the face overpowering evil Atta girl.....you tell 'em, even as they're planning to......well, I dare not say. .

    Fast moving and tense, what with all the worthy 'elevated' horror films the book samples like a buffet, then takes a sudden dive into seriousness when dealing with the dire backstory of Lindsay's Jewish relatives and ancestors.

     As silly as it all sounds (and some of it is), I couldn't stop reading and that bonkers climax feels ready made for a movie adaptation. But if that does happen, I'd wait till the film hits a streaming site I'm already paying for.......

    4 stars (****).

I, SPY......SPY LOVERS, HERE'S A NEW MISSION TO TAKE ASAP.....(****)

I, Spy by L.M. Kemp (2026)

     Calling all armchair secret agents - strap on your gun, practice your spotting of tails, work on your karate chops, cause here's your next mission to stop nefarious villains from causing global chaos and destruction.

     Top agent Kendal, however, has walked away from the Spy Game, preferring to raise her 4 year old daughter Rosie as a normal everyday mom giving her little girl a normal everyday life. Not much chance of that, given she discovers armed thugs, for one reason or another, are still on the hunt for her.
     
     Seeking some measure of peace, Kenda accepts what sounds like an easy-peasy assignment from Rico, her old spymaster boss. She's to stay in a plush London safe house with Rosie. There she just has to supervise a young agent placed in a high tech firm to find out what's going on with their new monumental app. Rosie gets enrolled in an exclusive private school and Kendal joins the Mom brigade in the constant swirl of playdates, school pageants, and parent-teacher conferences. It's a whole new world for Kendal, considering her loveless upbringing by her own mom, a legendary lethal agent who began training Kendal in spy craft since early childhood.

     As in all thrilling spy stories, nothing and nobody are what they seem, nobody's to be trusted and Kendal's soon up to her neck in danger, double agents surprising twists......and someone she never saw coming likely to point a gun at her at any given moment.

     As a spy/espionage fan since forever, I didn't want this book to end and can only hope that author L.M. Kemp isn't done with taking us and Kendal on more perilous missions. While I appreciate the book taking a descriptive deep dive into Kandal's problematic history with her mother, "I, Spy" really shines in its dialogue, filled with sharp, martini-dry wit.....shaken, not stirred, of course. And Kendal even comes equipped with her very own "Q" in Fini Meridian, who runs a clandestine tech supply store always worth stopping in for a visit.

     Pure fun every stop of the way. If you're crazy for this stuff like me, this should go right to the top of your 'must reads' for the year.

     4 stars (****).

WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY.....A TENDER COMING-OF-AGE AMID MICHIGAN'S NATURAL WONDERS

 Where the Water Meets the Sky by Diane Les Becquets (2026)

     I found myself seduced and entranced by this beautifully rendered coming-of-age story set amid the stunning flora and fauna of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.. And I say this as a reader who's not the biggest fan of books steeped in elaborate descriptions of natural settings that might tend to overwhelm the characters' story.

     But this book perfectly blended well-drawn real people with the picture-postcard views of the lush forests that surround them.

     17 year old Abby faces a pivotal summer as she helps her environmentalist uncle conduct a climate change study of the Upper Peninsula. Her forever best friend Brew is headed for college and and Abby herself soon faces choices about where her journey into adulthood will next take her. But she's also tormented by the mystery of her mother's tragic death in a fire which 7 year old Abby somehow survived.....and found wandering dazed with a book of matches. And during this summer amid the spectacular MIchigan woods, Abby befriends Seda, an outgoing but troubled girl who immediately captured her attention. Together, this unlikely duo of opposites find and take up partial residence in a remote abandoned cabin.

     All of these various elements - Abby's longtime loving friendship with Brew, the mystery of her mother's death and Abby's possible part in it, the bonding with Seda, and her UP explorations, all come together........but with an eye-popping twist that I'm thinking readers will either fully embrace or judge as an obvious, facile metaphor. While I tend to lean toward the latter opinion, it didn't in any way lessen my overall favorable impression of the book.

     For anyone who loves to lose themselves in a tender story that unfolds, around some brilliant prose painting of landscapes, there's a summer getaway vacation awaiting you on these pages.

     4 stars (****).

THE COVE......IN A COZY CORNWALL BOOKSTORE, SHE'S SAFE FROM A KILLER........OR IS SHE? (****)

The Cove by L.J. Ross (2026) 

     Like other books by this author I enjoyed this one thoroughly, a fast paced suspenseful romantic cozy mystery set amid the crashing surf, high cliffs and and twisting caves of scenic Cornwall. Just the perfect spot where murder will out.

     But first we're in London, where beautiful successful publishing exec Gabrielle barely survives an attack of the 'Underground KIller'. And yes, that's what you think it is, a psycho who lurks in the Tube stations, waiting to push people in front of an oncoming train.

     Traumatized to the max and now afflicted with OCD, Gabrielle takes a job managing a quaint little bookstore that sits in a cove on the Cornwall coast. And in true cozy (and Hallmark movie) fashion, the store comes complete with quirky cast of characters who embrace Gabrielle and a ruggedly handsome artist with his own sad backstory (but with an eye for Gabrielle and vice versa....)

     Gabrielle's settling in nicely until she witnesses what appears to be a murder on the Cornwall cliffs. But did she really see what she claims she saw, or has her brush with near death in London caused her imagination to run wild? And has the Underground Killer found out where Gabrielle lives and hoping to finish what he started?

     Author L.J. Ross assembles everything nicely in place here - romance, some much needed humor, a sense of oncoming danger to Gabrielle and of course, twists, reveals and and a sea-tossed cinematic showdown. And for all book lovers, it's always a bonus to see the inner workings of a bookstore and the publishing industry.

      A solid, entertaining mystery and with a picturesque tour of Cornwall for armchair travelers. 

      4 stars (****).

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE......STARRING L.A. AS THE DARKEST HEART OF DARKNESS....THE HORROR...THE HORROR....(*****).

 A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper (2026)

     Welcome to America's real Heart of Darkness......Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood dreams and drug fueled, blood drenched nightmares, the city populated by the bitter, and desperately impoverished along side the fabulously wealthy titans of industry and media, whose sybaritic lifestyles place them above the law and above all known morality. Or to put it more bluntly, what some would call a snapshot of America today.

     That's the carnival ride of horrors that author Jordan Harper takes you on. It's a twisted, warped funhouse of drugs, perversions, random gore-dripping carnage, all of it overseen by a justice system favoring only the rich and powerful......the only ones who make it out alive while literally getting away with murder.

     Within this maelstrom we follow the fates of three L.A. denizens who run afoul of 'The Kids in the Candy Store' that collection of rotten-to-their-very-core bigwigs whose influence and power can cover up anything and everything.........including young women who disappear without a trace. The ones who don't disappear might resurface as victims of the 'L.A. Ripper', whose mutilations of their bodies defy all rational description.

     This book, as you can imagine, is not for the faint of heart or anyone who cannot stomach graphic violence of any kind. But for those willing to grab on ti this Dante's Inferno tour of everything horrible in our modern society, it's a breathless, mesmerizing experience, a perpetual bad dream that nobody can wake up from.

      And I couldn't stop reading until the last drop of blood spills out. If you're up for it, then by all means take the ride. But don't say you weren't warned.....

      5 stars (*****).