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 (****). 

A KILLER PLOT......MURDER, SHE FOUND.......AGAIN AND AGAIN.....(****).......

A Killer Plot by E.C. Nevin (2026) 

     Welcome back, Jane Hepburn, great to see you back in sleuthing action. Jane, the tall, ungainly mystery novelist who's led a poignant life as a lonely, friendless outcast since childhood, once again encounters murder most foul in the publishing world. It's nice to report that since her last adventure, Jane's exhibits at least a smidge more self respect and less endless self depreciation. And she now has two genuine best buds who constitute her Scooby squad when hunting down killers.....young writer Natasha Martez and publisher intern Daniel Thurston.

     At a book party celebrating Natasha's fast selling debut mystery, Jane, all too typical for her, stumbles upon the body of a young, vivacious assistant editor.........and the poor girl won't be the first murder victim. Her boss comes next.......and guess who stumbles on that fresh corpse too?

     Author E.C. Nevin again creates a daunting array of suspects and motives for Jane, Natasha and Daniel to untangle. And along the way, there's no end of behind the scenes looks at the publishing universe of authors, editors and agents . Jane herself, even as she doggedly hunts down clues, looks for inspiration to break through her writer's block.

     My only quibble here is the same one I had with the previous book in the series, 'A Novel Murder'. Author E.C. Nevin displays a genuine talent for witty byplay, but rations it out in teaspoon portions. I only wish these books would graduate to 2-cup measuring spoons for the humor. But I was also truly taken and moved with amount of Jane's introspection into the ironic tragedies that surround the surprising final reveals.

      Everything's here you'd want in a great whodunit, including a detective unlike any other. Here's hoping for even more friends and self confidence for Jane in her next excursion........(but I'd advise anyone who attends these publishing parties with her to watch their backs from now on....)

     4 stars (****).

BRIMSTONE HOLLOW.....MURDER IN APPALACHIA......FOR GOSH SNAKES! (****)

 Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan (2026)

     Nothing's better to cozy up with than a swiftly paced mystery steeped in the atmosphere of its location.....taking you to a place that seems so familiar and yet somehow strange and threatening at the same time.

     And that would perfectly describe the rural Americana settings of Appalachia where Private Investigator Annie Gore operates. Her latest case takes her to a small town that was mystified and enthralled by a snake handling preacher.......until he was found dead, bitten and poisoned by the very reptiles that curled around his arms during his thundering sermons.

     The preacher's daughter, raised by a mother who fled the marriage to her father, now hires Annie to look into why her father's funeral and burial came and went with such speed in that supposedly sleepy little town. Annie Gore, toughened by an unsettled childhood and her years as an Air Force investigator, won't leave that town until all of its darkest secrets are laid bare. Because it's clear that preacher Ezra King's death by snakebite was no accident and the increasing pile up of murders that follow more than bear that out.

     Author Archer Sullivan knows her territory like only an Appalachian can and the town, with its bizarre church, supernatural rumors and notorious deep sulfur pit are vividly depicted. A dangerous place to poke your nose into private lives, but Annie Gore won't leave town until there's closure for her client and an end to the mysteries swirling around the high body count. .

The book's incredible, tragic reveals finally come at you one after the other. 'Brimstone Hollow' may not sound like an ideal vacation spot but it makes for a solidly page-turning whodunit.

       4 stars (****).

MY KILLER FAMILY REUNION......THE FAMILY THAT SLAYS TOGETHER......JUST FOR FUN....UNTIL IT ISN'T.....(****)

My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru (2026) 

     Nothing warms the heart more (and turns the pages faster) than a large extended family whose every member contemplates their own effective way to bump off the fam's powerhouse Matriarch. An amusing game the clan plays with each other that even tickles the Grand Mom herself, as she is called by everyone.

Amusing, that is, until it becomes apparent that somebody in the Devi family isn't kidding around with their intentions. And it falls to the most ignored, forgotten of the Devis, teen Jayshree, to become the family's most dedicated sleuth in getting to the bottom of things.

     This book literally teems with not only Devi parents, children, and cousins, there's also plenty of rivalries, secrets, romances, heartbreak, humor, attempted murders and even some nail biting suspense and do-or-die action. Jayshree manages to navigate her way through it all, even as her cousins, along with the rest of the family, conspire to put her in the path of that visiting charming Spanish student who's beginning to make her heart flutter.

     Author Dinish Thiru has put together a hugely entertaining package here. And it's filled to the very brim with all the messy comedic moments,, heartfelt drama and surprises that could only occur when such a large family reunites in one place. Enough chaos reigns to split them all asunder but those family bonds are tough to break.

     Engrossing, fun and with enough stuff going on that could fill five other YA comedy-mysteries. Grand Mom rules, but keep your eye on her now unforgettable granddaughter Jay.

      4 stars (****).