LAWS OF SOLOMON.....A KILLER REGAINING HUMANITY.....WHILE HE'S DRAGGED BACK INTO CARNAGE.....(*****).

 Laws of Solomon by Eriq La Salle (2026)

     A triple whammy, this one. An incredibly fast read.....a gut punching, blood soaked action thriller......and most importantly, a penetrating, impassioned examination of redemption, soul crushing loss and a life lived steeped in the brutality that human beings upon one another.

     All of this packed into one swiftly paced book that flies by while it pumps up your adrenalin and breaks your heart at the same time.

     Solomon's early life in mad dictator Idi Amin's Uganda has been forever altered by atrocities beyond all rational description. His family wiped out before his eyes, he's forced into servitude as a merciless child soldier, Soloman, as an adolescent and adult, forges himself into one of the most fearsome (and feared) professional slaughterers on earth. But his life as a mercenary for hire and enforcer for gangsters has left his soul barren, with only little traces of humanity left.

     His attempt to retreat into a monastic solitary life as a gardener on a vast estate comes to an abrupt end. Again, a twist of cruel fate puts him in the path of barbarous evil. Solomon finds himself the defender and protector of an angelic child pursued by a vicious drug lord capable of bottomless carnage...........and whose intent to capture the boy proves relentless and strewn with the bodies of innocent victims in his way.

     Solomon's skills as a bringer of death and vengeance are pushed to the very limit of what he can endure. And the gentle good heart of the boy, Gaby, has started to chip away at his battle hardened nature. We're given illuminating painful looks into Solomon's past filled with the tragedies he lives with daily. By the time I'd reached the last page, I realized the book kept me in its grip for the entire day. from start to finish. And that I knew I couldn't give this book any less than 5 stars. (*****).

      I think I've made my point here........drop everything and read it.

THE MYSTIC AND THE MISSING GIRL.....A CHARMING, OCCULT-ISH COZY....AND JUST PLAIN FUN TO READ....(****).

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (2026) 

     This book's inescapable charm and lead character won me over from the start. When you add on that picturesque small town cozy flavor, the mystical powers of Tarot cards, a 20 year old unsolved mystery, and two totally unalike men for our main girl to spar with (and maybe a little more).......well, that's an unbeatable recipe for a fun read. And that's exactly what author Vikki VanSickle delivers.

     Drew Benson's inherited two things from her late Aunt Hannah, who was disgraced and reviled for using her psychic powers to help discover the mystery of what became of a beloved, missing teen girl. Drew possesses her aunt's unique gifts of Tarot readings and receiving visions from the feel and touch of inanimate objects. And also from her aunt, she's inherited Hannah's metaphysical store of otherworldly products.

     But like Hannah herself, who was accused of misguiding and confusing the missing girl investigation, the store's been shunned and avoided by the town, often a prime target for vandals. So Drew finds herself now burdened with a failing business, a disapproving mother and a town that unfairly links her to Hannah's notoriety. If that isn't enough she's been badgered by old high school nemesis Nick. now a reporter hoping to write a story to uncover that missing girl's ultimate fate. . While she reluctantly teams up with NIck, using her powers to elicit confounding clues, Drew's also trading quips with and fending off advances from the dashing town lothario Foster Banks.

     The mystery finally revealed isn't that much a of a knock-your-socks-off surprise, but by that time, I was completely captivated by Drew, Nick, the store, the town, the array of suspects, the friends and frenemies surrounding Drew, her paranormal visions and Tarot cards......and even the impish kitten who's takes up residence in the store whether anyone likes it or not. Delightful stuff, all the way and full of heart and humor too in the the wrap-up chapters that bring Drew and the whole cast together.

     And best news in that regard is a finish that implies a potential series in the making. I say bring 'em on. I can't wait.

     4 stars (****).

WE ALREADY DUG THE GRAVE.....THE MURDEROUS SECRETS OF SISTERS....EVERY WITCH WAY BUT LOOSE....(****).

 We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells (2026)

     Creepy time down South......

     And kicks off with an opening sentence that snags you like a fish on the hook and reels you in to keep reading until the last secret (and last corpse) are laid bare.

     I wouldn't go so far as to use 'Practical Magic' as any kind of real comparison here. Only in superficial similarities. This tale of witchy sisterhood is far more steeped in the evil and villainy of human beings rather than the otherworldly......with blood streaming out of murder victims and a cast of characters with countless skeletons in their closets......not to mention other random locations as well.

     Milly's fled her little Tennessee hometown to eke out a day by day existence waitressing in a run down Gulf Coast tourist trap.. Her much beloved, beautiful and brilliant younger sister Frances now lives an uppercrust, pampered life as the wife of a wealthy family's scion. But there's tragedy and death in their adolescent backstories. filled with murders and disappearances......tragedies that left their mother in prison and the girls in the custody of their decidedly eccentric aunts.

     But now it's Frances who's in flight from her abusive husband and his powerful, well-connected family. Milly, fiercely protective of her all too vulnerable little sister, must call upon her inherited gift of divining the future in tea leaves. And she she and Frances will also need to enlist aunts Ruth and Hattle-May., Because these two aging women have their own 'Arsenic and Old Lace' method of dealing with rotten-to-the-core men who'd make the world a better place by leaving it.

      A climactic showdown finale looms closer.........and when it erupts, there's a load of shattering twists from both past and present that will alter the lives of everyone involved.......those still breathing, that is.

     Author Emma C. Welles dials up the melodrama to the 'overheated' setting and I'll freely admit the book comes awfully close to the borderline of silly and absurd in its plotting and outrageous surprises. But what can I say other than I found myself immersed in the non stop swirl of bodies, secrets and supernatural peeks into a future that doesn't seem to bode well for anyone. And I simply couldn't put it down. A nice read for those dark, chilly nights......

      4 stars (****).

BEFORE YOU WERE ANNE......GENERATIONS OF MYSTERY, MURDER AND DEEPLY EMOTIONAL DRAMA.....FROM TOKYO TO SEATTLE....(*****)

 Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean  (2026)

     My reaction to this book felt like the same reaction I had to "The Return of Ellie Black, the first of author Emiko Jean's 'Chelsey Calhoun' mysteries. I could practically post the same review all over again.......because my take on this book is identical. (which you check out in my post on 'Ellie' from 5/7/24....)

     In other words......blown away. Completely awestruck. With "wow" as the first operative description I can think of, just as in the first of this series....

     Once again, Asian-American Detective Calhoun probes a murder and kidnapping that reveals the heartrending backstories of victims and the overwhelming evil that entraps them. And this time it's a case that spans decades, generations and the misfortunes of young Japanese women who sought a path to America. But it's a path strewn with deceptions, betrayals, tragedy and ultimately violence. A journey requiring monumental courage and determination to survive......which some do not.

     Among those who didn't - Seattle single mom Rika Takahashi, found stabbed to death and her teenage daughter Naomi missing. Chelsey Calhoun's investigation into Rika's life and death uncovers secrets and crimes that stretch across Pacific ocean......from the bright lights and sleazy nightclubs of Tokyo to the seemingly peaceful suburbs of Seattle. Chelsey, herself an adoptee, recalls her own childhood memories as she races to locate and rescue Naomi, who may have stumbled into the worst parts of her mother's tortuous past.

     It's rare that I come across a book that works so brilliantly to combine its mysteries with the insightful view of its characters that you'd expect in literary fiction. By the time "Before You Were Anne" reaches the finale,, there's satisfaction in the closing of the case, with answers revealed, but with the lingering sadness of the emotional trauma and heartbreak left behind.....that's what stays with you.

      And for me, that's what pushes this one all the way to 5 stars. (*****).

UNTAMED COAST......THE MYSTERIES AND ADVENTURES OF ALASKA....SPANNING DECADES AND GENERATIONS....(*****).

 Untamed Coast by Kevin C. Morris (2026)

     What an ambitiously grand debut for an author this is. A book that functions on multiple levels......and does them all well, drawing you into three seemingly unrelated stories and timelines that all take place along the stunning rugged coast of Alaska. There's heartfelt drama, mystery, suspense and the high adventures of navigating those treacherous waters surrounding some of the world's most striking natural wonders.

     In 2017, lonely widower Marconi Franco takes his boat wandering through that rough, frequently storm-tossed coastline........ breathtaking voyages he'd hope to take with the late wife he still pines for. A mayday call, a plea for help from a lost desperate woman sends Marconi on an obsessive but fruitless search for her. In 1938, Joe Baxter works his job of receiving and sending out radio messages at a remote coastal outpost. But he's also busy, along with two conspiring partners, skimming and stashing away the gold from a corporate mine. In 1982, Anya Baron struggles to help her husband operate their fishing boat. Not an easy task as she suffers through the agonies of her drunken husband's frequent beatings.

     Author Kevin C. Morris completely enthralled and fascinated me with all three of these storylines, their characters, and the unpredictable reversals-of-fortune they encounter and endure. And as the book moves toward its final chapters, there's a cascade of twists and reveals as these timelines begin to connect into one multi-generational saga. Also, for armchair travelers, you can practically sit back and lose yourself amid the crashing surf, rocky shores and spectacular wildlife of Alaska.......but you might want to put on a life-jacket first.

     An impressive, immersive start for a new storyteller and I for one can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next. One of the all around best reads of this Fall season.

     5 Stars (*****).

BAD INTENTIONS......BACK TO HOME SWEET HOME AGAIN.......WITH ALL THE BURIED MURDER VICTIMS....(****)

 Bad Intentions by Iliana Xander (2026)

     Once a book starts tantalizing me with vague descriptions of past crimes coming back to bedevil its current day characters, I can't help but go all in with it, totally hooked.

     Our lead, Josie Boots has fallen victim to that singular malady that afflicts heroines of either romcoms or insulated small town thrillers......a embarrassing, humiliating misstep that's left her hated, scorned, a pariah, an outcast, and fair game for cruel memes and posts.

     So what else is there to do but return to her small town home. It's where her ailing grandmother lives under a cloud of suspicion over the town's most scandalous past crimes.....brutal crimes of arson and murder that also hang over Josie's late mother. Not exactly the best place to piece your life back together. Especially when some anonymous caller in town claims to hold the answers to all the dark secrets of Josie's family.

     But her attempt to meet with this individual appears to come to an abrupt, violent end. Or does it? And here's where author Iliana Xander stirs up the pot (and the plot) putting an ever growing pile of clues, reveals and finally some real threats in Josie's path.

     By the time 'Bad Intentions' throws a full spotlight on every last murder in Burnville (oh yes, you can bet there's more than one) you'll have to shift into that 'stop-whatever-I'm-doing-to-finish-this-book' zone.'.....a sure sign of one irresistible mystery read.. High recommendation here.

     4 stars (****).

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD 4: LIGHTS! CAMERA! FRENDO!......AN UNFORTUNATE FILM CREW GETS FATALLY UN-FRENDO'D.....(****).....

 Clown in a Cornfield: Lights! Camera! Frendo!  by Adam Cesare (2026)

     When I opened the first pages of this book, it's a wonder that a tidal wave of blood didn't come gushing out of it, much like the hotel elevators in the "The Shining" ..

     And I wouldn't want it any other way. Once again, author Adam Cesare plunges us headlong into a slasher thrill ride guaranteed to stun you with surprises and make you gasp (or lose your lunch) at the fully graphic descriptions of spectacular deaths awaiting those unfortunate enough to encounter Frendo the clown.

     Book 4 goes cleverly ultra-meta, with a film crew arriving in Kettle Springs to recreate the original Clown in a Cornfield massacre for the big screen ...(hmm, this sounds familiar.....didn't that actually happen or did I just dream I went to see a real Clown in a Cornfield movie last year?).

     For horror movie buffs, the book pokes a whole of lot of knowing satiric fun at the film crew, headed by its much celebrated action movie director, a true legend-in-his-own-mind 'genius'. And of course there's a harried Assistant Director, and a cast comprised of preening, self absorbed actors, a fashion model and the inevitable social media pseudo celebrity. But the one cast member worth rooting for and empathizing with is that young star-in-the-making Sabrina, who's been awarded the prime role of Ultimate Final Girl Quinn Maybrook, the legendary Frendo slayer.

     Now what could possibly go wrong as this bunch prepares to film the gruesome Kettle Springs massacre? Art imitating life? Life imitating art? Let the blood rush freely and the limbs and heads go flying through the corn stalks...

     There's no end of inside references to horror movie lore and filmmaking in general. I especially loved that somewhere, in the midst of all the indescribable carnage, the book throws in the most priceless, hilarious take-down of method acting that I've ever read so far. And those demanding and expecting a heaping pile of wooo-hooo!! kill scenes.....you'll not come away disappointed.

     Better than a giant bag of candy corn or fun-size Kit Kats, 'Lights! Camera! Frendo' is the tastiest (and bloodiest) of Halloween treats. But I doubt faithful readers of this series will want to contain themselves to wait for the spooky season to read it.

     4 stars (****).