EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO MUCH.....ESME BITES BACK AT REALITY....AND REACHES THE WORLD'S BELLY BUTTON.....(****).

Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H. Murray (2026)

     Fasten your seat belts cause Oh boy here we go plunging down the multi-verse rabbit hole, from which few souls ever return with their sanity intact. But despair not......fortunately for all of us, the book's a hilarious, a mad, mad, wink-wink satire that falls somewhere between George Orwell, Jonathon Swift, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Monty Python..

I     n this fractured, warped 'Wizard of Oz/1984/Alice in Wonderland world sits our Dorothy/Alice......Esme Good. And Esme's not doing too good, the very definition of a non-entity, nondescript worker bee living a life of anonymous quiet desperation. While toiling in the customer service cubicles of a vast bureaucratic complaint department, Esme's become addicted to chugging 'Elsewheres'. It's a new designer drug that, for 15 minutes, allows her live the life of one of the millions of alternate universe Esme Goods floating around in the cosmos.

     But in somehow accidentally ripping the fabric of reality, Esme's caught the attention the omnipotent Powers-The-Be. They indict and jail her under unknowable Kafka-esque charges that sound devised by Wonderland's Red Queen.. Not to worry through, since Esme's world-shaking exploits are only just beginning......she's broken out of prison by fellow inmates Chip Sestina and, his sentient artificial talking leg Jessica.....(we're serious here.) Following along on their Oz-ian misadventures is Esme's former co-worker, impromptu attorney and possible romantic interest Talmeck. With the Fabric of Reality police hot on their heels, this nutty group goes on the run into ever more loony perilous adventures.

     No question about it.....author Andrew H. Murray is one wickedly funny social satirist who keeps you smiling and laughing all the way through this fantastic junket leading right up to the veritable belly-button of Planet Earth......(not kidding here, either). My only quibble - at times the screwball humor of it all gets lost in the the story's deepening metaphysical verbiage.......as if the book can't get out of its own way. But then I could always count on some razor sharp witty zinger coming just around the corner.....

     Anyone who loves traveling way off the beaten path and have a fun time doing it......Esme Good is good to go.

     4 stars (****).

 

UNTIL THE LAST LIGHT GOES OUT.......FOR THE SENIOR CLASS (AND LATER, THEIR KIDS), CHECKOUT TIME IS........NEVER. (****).

 Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould (2026)

     YA horror readers should prepare themselves for an immersive deep dive here. We're talking about two separate generations trapped in the same deeply haunted, cursed resort parked on one of the remote Florida Keys. Mass mysterious deaths decimated a 2001 graduating class who'd hoped to party hearty there, but leaving only five survivors. Now, 25 years later, some of these survivors' children find themselves drawn to the abandoned resort in the hopes of finding answers their shaken parents won't dare to speak aloud... Whatever horrific, murderous presence that infested the hotel all those years ago is very much alive......and hungry, craving fresh blood from fresh victims.

     In the book's two side by side timelines, we see the growing terror unfold for the 2001 class and then repeating for the small current group. The same powerful entity uses the Kaleidoscope Key resort as a nothing more than a bait trap for humans snared in its clutches. And its abilities to bend and warp the architecture of the hotel to its own murderous ends can drive its victims into violent madness. Exits disappear, replaced by a never ending maze of corridors and rooms that only lead to........more empty corridors and rooms......and a pool seemingly custom made for drowning in.

     The ordeal of the 2026 group especially weighs heavily on estranged former best friends Paige and KJ. (Even more hurtful since the two girls nursed more that just friendly feelings toward each other.) And it's here where author Courtney Gould excels in creating characters we care about, whom we fear for, and make us cringe for them as the Kaleidoscope monstrosity, with its overwhelming God-like powers, sadistically torments and toys with them.

     I should give fair warning that with its dual timelines of two groups subjected to the same terrifying occurrences, "Until the Last Light" becomes as much of a punishing ordeal for us as it does for all these hapless young adults trapped literally in the belly of a beast. I can't deny there were moments when I felt the book threatened to simply wear me out. But if you're willing to stay on board for the full ride, there's much genuine heartbreaking emotion and human insight on display here in addition to the expected grisly splatter.

     And like all unforgettable horror novels, the final words spin the chill meter up to the raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck setting. So by all means, check in to the Kaleidoscope hotel real soon......for the same kind of relaxing vacation you'd get at the Bates Motel or.....what's the name of that place up in New England called again? Oh right....Hill House.

     4 stars (****).

FAREWELL TO A BELOVED CHILD DETECTIVE AND HER GIFTED CREATOR.....(*****)

Numb Were the Beadsman's Fingers by Alan Bradley (2026)

     So torn as to what the tone of this 5 star review should be. I want to convey the enthusiasm at how much I loved this book, but at the same time feel deeply saddened about the passing of its author Alan Bradley. As delightful as this latest (and last) Flavia de Luce mystery is to read, I couldn't escape the aura of melancholy I felt even as I enjoyed every page of it........including the brief poignant farewell left by the author, filled with his signature wit and wisdom.

     In her incredibly eventful yet still brief lifetime, irrepressible, ultra-precocious 12 year old Flavia has managed to close the case on 11 previous confounding mysteries in and around her post World War 2 countryside estate. With her faithful crime solving gardener cohort Dogger, she now faces a truly bizarre, baffing puzzle surrounding the death of a nun from a silent Order. It appears that the late Sister Garance hid a startling secret about herself and her dark past contained far more than anyone could imagine.

     Flavia and Dogger's investigations into the nun's strange death lead them all the way back to the turbulent, violent Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th century. With the help of recollections from one of the surviving Klondike adventurers, Flavia delves into a past brutal world of thievery,, betrayal, and murder amid the lethally arctic cold more dangerous than the greedy men who live in it.

     Along the way to an ultimate solution, the good hearted Flavia cherishes her time with the worldly wise Dogger and copes with the constant drama surrounding her two older sisters and her perpetual constant shadow and nemesis, the little devilish cousin Undine. And as always, author Bradley finds a way to mix humor and heart in every scene.

     I couldn't recommend 'Beadsman's Fingers" more highly and I can only wish Alan Bradley has stayed with us to take Flavia de Luce into adolescence, young adulthood and even middle age. Flavia and her creator will both be sorely missed.

     5 stars (*****).

THE BRIGHTNESS......A STUNNING PRANK AND A MEMORABLE WEDDING FOREVER ALTER LIVES ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS....(****).....

The Brightness by Chad Harbach (2026)

     There's no getting around it.......this spectacularly ambitious epic of American college life, a whale of a read, does demand your time and full attention. Quite a lot of it, in fact.

     Worth it? Simple answer......yes. Even as the book's final third section began to wear me out a little, by that time I'd become so utterly immersed in Chad Harbach's cast of characters that I knew I could never stop reading till I reached that final sentence. And then those last few chapters, filled with the emotions and events of everything that's come beforehand, left me sighing in bittersweet satisfaction and actually eager to see the story continue on.

     "The Brightness" unfolds in the little picturesque universe of Westish College, Wisconsin, first brought to life in author Harbach's "The Art of Fielding". (which also serves as something of a clever meta trope in this new lengthy expansion.....) Pella, beloved only child of the college's late President, had finally escaped an impulsive bad marriage and returned to Westish to finally enroll and graduate at 27. She now finds herself living in two disparate worlds......that of the scholars of literature she's befriended and the brawny, burly world of her fiance Mike, the school's dedicated athletics director.

     Pella's dearest (and most brilliant) undergrad friend Irma, has conspired with two classmates to perpetrate an outrageous prank on several of the school's star athletes. It's a provocative, controversial stunt that not only roils the campus but captures and captivates the attention of the entire country, with repercussions that will forever affect all of the story's major characters.

     But there's way, way more upending pivotal events that await these Westish folk as they attend a grand destination wedding off the coast of Rhode Island. It's a non-stop exhausting celebration that not only consumes almost two thirds of the book, but brings about monumental, life changing decisions in the lives of Pella, Irma, Mike and those in their orbit.

      Chad Harbach crafts this saga with intricately thought out prose and insights that cover a multitude of issues.......the rise of feminism vs. the patriarchy, the sacrifices of artists for their art, the bonds of parents and children the ebb and flow of friendships, and the quest of everyone young to figure out their own fulfilling place in the world.

     "The Brightness" ,even with its voluminous heft of pages, still sucks you into its messy world filled with heartbreak and humor, romance and wounding betrayals, crushing grief and the promises of new paths to take. I wouldn't have missed it for anything and I'd recommend readers to stop in and stroll about the Westish quads for some bright college days..... and at times, some dark and cloudy.....

      4 Stars (****).

CHAIN REACTION......HI-TECH OVERREACHES UNTIL THEY GET THOROUGHLY REACHER'D.....(*****)......

 Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child (2026)

     Hardly breaking news that for all of us Reacher fanatics, 'Chain Reaction' provides another 5 star bonanza. And let me now also give authors Lee and Andrew Child a thorough round of applause for coming up with some ripped-from-the-headlines villains truly worthy of gettering Reacher-ized with a vengeance.

     In the midst of his wanderings through the USA. the big R manages (as he always does) to commit himself to an adventure that will pit him against a mix of common dumb thugs, highly trained ex-military operatives and the truly odious masterminds behind. them all. And you'll be assured to know he'll be fueling himself up with enough carb-heavy jumbo breakfasts and burgers that would send the rest of us lesser mortals into cardiac arrest.

     General Susan Turner, with whom Reacher served with (and much more...hint, hint) needs his help as she commands a new unit, a sort of Army version of the FBI. One of her men went out to investigate something odd in a middle-of-nowhere Colorado town consisting of little more than massively vast data centers and solar farms. So how did he end up brutally stabbed to death in a random mugging at the back of a seedy biker bar? Terrible bad luck? Or something far more sinister, with tentacles that stretch all the way back to white collar high-tech evil in California?

     As Reacher peels off the layers of this rotten onion, one hit team after another comes after him........ and you'll almost want to drop your book or tablet to rub your hands in uncontrolled glee as these foolhardy goons undergo plenty of well deserved maximum Reacher-ization. With so many heavily armed dopes to decimate, Reacher barely has time to fit in those steak-and-eggs breakfasts while re-kindling more than few sparks with General Susan.......

     This all leads to that much anticipated showdown with the worst of the minions and that deeply satisfying grand finale of cutting the head off the snake from which all this poison has flowed. I would doubt that any Reacher devotee will finish this book disappointed.

     For all of us armchair, lone wolf special ops Knight-Errants..........another 5 star bell ringer. Pass the steak, eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles and 2 gallons of black coffee......and throw in a burger and fries. Cause you never know when there's at least 6 more bad guys coming who need their various limbs re-positioned in all new directions...........

     5 stars (*****).

THE KEY TO A KILLER......ROOMMATES, ONE LIVING, ONE GHOST, HUNT THE DEAD ONE'S MURDERER.....(****)......

 The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke (2026)

     If I'd forgotten how I became totally attached to young, newly-adult Ruby and her ghostly roommate Cordelia, this book served as a delightful reminder. . Sharing the deceased Cordelia's Boston apartment (not in the best of neighborhoods) the oddball dead & alive duo has managed to solve two murders in this this series' previous two books. The new mystery confronting them in the latest entry raises the stakes considerably. They're out to uncover who's really responsible for Cordelia's supposedly 'accidental' suicide death from a toxic mix of alcohol and sleeping pills.

     This is a finely crafted step up for this series, deepening the characters, creating a colorful cast of suspects amid the cutthroat high-tech world, and filled with underlying wit and genuine heartfelt emotion. And in the carefully created details of Cordelia's haunting abilities, and limitations, author Olivia Blacke has devised her very own unique 'Guide for the Deceased in a Tough Big City'.

     The mystery here somehow relates back to Ruby's current and Cordelia's last place of employment, a freewheeling little software development firm overshadowed by a bigger, ruthless competitor. There's enough backstabbing, adultery, and stolen corporate secrets going on to fuel an entire soap opera. So the question remains.......did any of these shenanigans lead directly to Cordelia's body being found in the apartment's tiny bathtub?

     There's endless amounts of fun, heart and ongoing suspense in Ruby and Cordelia's growing relationship. Cordelia has now devoted her afterlife to looking after and protecting the sweetly naive Ruby, who's not quite prepared to navigate adulthood. And there's more depth, some humor and understated sadness in Cordelia's encounters a fellow Bostonian ghost and her troubled but still loving ties to her wayward, chronically criminal younger bother Ian.

     That's an awful lot of stuff to be going on in one cozy mystery and that's what keeps Ruby and Cordelia's cases always 4 star reads for me. And I am pretty sure that those trying this series out for the first time, will want to catch up on the the first two right away.

      4 stars (****).....an extra high quality cozy to warm you on those upcoming chilly nights.

WRITTEN IN STARLIGHT......A SWEET CHAMBERMAID 'BOOKS' AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD TRIP TO ROMANCE.....LITERALLY....(****)......

Written in Starlight by Sloane Brooks (2026)

       I have no rational, reasonable explanations for why I fell so hard for this book. I just did. It must've been the softhearted mushy romantic deep inside that came bursting out of my chest like that disgusting little thing in "Alien". Speaking of which.......

     .....it also didn't hurt that there were ray guns, spaceships, aliens and robots aplenty. Which, in my considered opinion, you can never have enough of, especially to pop up smack in the middle of the plight of a put-upon 19th century chambermaid.

     What we've got here is an achingly star-crossed romance grandly conceived on an epic scale.......where crossing eras, planets and galaxies can be accomplished by simply losing yourself in the pages of a good book. Come to think of it, isn't that what everyone reading this review likes to do anyway?

     Cinderella-like Della Farley ekes out an impoverished, hard scrabble life, mopping and scrubbing her way through a Dickens-like bad dream of a grey grimy British town. Until she stumbles upon a book that sweeps her into the fantastic, sci-fi i swashbuckling of galactic rogue Ansel Tulzok....(think Han Solo crossed with Peter Quill of "Guardians of the Galaxy"). Ansel, as inevitable criss-crossed fate would have it, has found a mirror image book detailing Della's own heart rending story of romantic longing as she struggles to earn a paltry wage to help care for her ailing mother.

     These two strangely unique books not only give Della and Ansel the power to correspond with each other through the pages, but alter their own lives........and in Della's case, enable her to write herself directly into Ansel's amazing adventures, sharing his dangers, his vicious adversary and bonding with his oddball, wisecracking crew of aliens and robots. This unlikely intergalactic pairing of the spunky chambermaid and the rough 'n ready space outlaw touches off sharply humorous banter that soon deepens into overpowering, seemingly impossible romance.

     I can't help but fall in love with a book that goes all out in its impressive world-building, heart-stopping romance and action thrills that either take your breath away or make you lough out loud. When "Written in Starlight" finally reveals its mythology of the origins, details and purpose of Della and Ansel's extraordinary books, it's a heartfelt meditation on the power of each individual's personal stories to tell.........yet still keeps a reader fervently hoping that nothing on Heaven, Earth, or thousands of galaxies will serve to keep our lovers apart.

      A lot to absorb here and not for everybody, I'll admit. But if you're willing to let yourself fully succumb to it, this book can serve you up a 20 course meal of adventurous romance. I couldn't stop reading it at full starship warp speed myself.

       For this one, blasting off 4 stars (****).