MURDER BIMBO.....A VILE POLITICIAN MEET HIS MOST UNLIKELY ASSASSIN......(***)

 Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack (2026)

     Who could possibly resist that title and the whole premise? A sex worker recruited to assassinate a rising right-wing politician? Visions of a wild, crazy reading thrill ride danced in my head.......promising a tasty mashup of feminist rage and power colliding with all our turbulent current events.

     Not quite what I ever expected though......

     What we got in reality came across as 90 percent verbose, at times impenetrable literary fiction. All of it's narrated by the unidentified Murder Bimbo herself who over the course of the book's three acts, proves herself to be the world's most dedicated Unreliable Narrator. In a few sparse, occasional sections, the book crawls out of our Murder Bimbo's' morass of yakety-yak to entertain us with scenes of her recruitment and preparation by a small collection of men who may or may not be government agents, neo-Nazis or both. One thing remains certain - that the death of the loathsome politico (only referred to as Meat Neck) with his dangerous views, rampant misogyny and history of sexual assault, would make the world a better, safer place without him in it. . Especially in light of Ms. Bimbo's previous, ugly encounter with him.

     To be fair to author Rebecca Novack, there are more than a few passages when her prose truly takes flight, Our conflicted narrator, Murder Bimbo, sometimes takes us right into the very essence of her multi-faceted personality and how she sees the world at large (and vice versa) And we can hardly blame her for her tenuous grasp of the truth, existing amid the divisive, combative world she's trying to survive in. There's some undeniably brilliant, quotable writing that erupts on these pages from time to time, which explains why I felt I couldn't rate the book anything above or below 3 stars.

     An adventurous, iconoclastic read, that's for sure. But demanding patience to experience and appreciate. And nobody should let that title and description seduce them into thinking they're in for some kind of suspenseful, thrill-a-minute whoop-dee-doo. Not that kind of a book

     3 stars (***)..

KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN.....THE HEARTBREAKING STORY OF POST WORLD WAR 2 ORPHANS....(*****).

 Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson (2026)

     This one will hit you hard with its wide range of storytelling, dramatic force and ultimately tug on your heartstrings without mercy.

     Author Sadeqa Johnson casts a powerful light on the plight of mixed race children, fathered by black American soldiers amid the demolished cities and society of post World War 2 Germany. Scorned as outcasts, these white German mothers and their reviled babies fell into a tortured existence that left the children uncared for, unloved and abandoned into orphanage or even worse, the streets. .

     The scope of this epic tragedy slowly but assuredly unwinds through the narratives of three different generations of black characters. In 1951 Germany, Army wife Ethel Gathers , shaken by her visits to one of the orphanages, becomes a relentless advocate and champion for the mixed raced children. She becomes a very public and beloved figure as she cuts through mountains of red tape to arranges for black American families to adopt the children.

     In 1965 Maryland, teen farm girl Sophie secures a scholarship to a enter a exclusive highly rated private school as one of its few few black students accepted. There she not only deals with the vile bigotry and bullying of white students, she discovers that in Ethel Gathers' crusade, she may uncover the clouded mysteries of her own birth and childhood. And in 1948 Philadelphia, young Ozzie Phillips, with a hot temper sometimes aggravated by alcohol, enters the post war Army as new recruit. Shipped off to a devastated Germany Ozzie, like many other lonely soldiers, falls into an ill fated relationship with a young German girl, Jenka.

     Every one of these separate narratives is told with equal compelling fervor that kept me rapidly turning the pages to find out what happens to all three of these vividly drawn characters. And in the book's last third, when it's made clear how their lives will intersect and collide, there are more than a few sequences designed to leave readers blinking back tears..

     Outstanding in every regard, and telling a story that demands to be heard, 'Keeper of Lost Children' is the epitome of 5 star ' must read right away'. book. (*****).

ANTIHERO......ORPHAN X REACHES A MORAL CRISIS IN HIS NEW ONE MAN RETRIBUTION QUEST.....(*****)

 Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz (2026

     Sensational news for all of us who follow the amazing (and infinitely brutal) adventures of freelance righter-of-wrongs Evan Smoak.......I think this one's the best yet because the emotional stakes are raised higher than ever before.

     Evan (a.k.a. 'Orphan X', a.k.a. The Nowhere Man), walked away from his lethal profession as an ultra-trained Black Ops assassin for top secret government sanctioned missions......(you know, those ones that everybody in charge disavows and never heard of.)

     Now he wanders the world as a Knight Errant, a supremely efficient Paladin awaiting the the calls of any poor soul besieged by evil and with no one else to turn to. Through the oddest of circumstances, fate has put him in the path of Anca, an innocent young woman suffering from debilitating seizures that leave her helpless and unconscious. When afflicted while riding a New York subway, she's abducted and repeatedly gang raped by four soulless, heartless men who record their many victims' agonies for thousands of users on a dark web porn network.

     Evan knows of this horrific event via an eyewitness to the abduction, a young girl 'guest' of his all-powerful Oligarch frenemy, Luke Davine. With Davine currently in the throes of his own nervous breakdown, Evan's forced to recruit his beloved but suffer-no-fools teen girl hacker Joey to control Davine's on-line empire while he brings Orphan X revenge down upon Anca's attackers.

     Here's where the book plunges Evan into an unique crisis that raises the bar for any future Orphan X missions Anca, a fiercely determined survivor guided by a strong moral compass, demands of Evan that he not wreak his usual eye-for-an-eye justice upon the men who tried to destroy her body and spirit. She wants legitimate justice and not wanton slaughter, which puts Evan into an internal struggle to bow to her wishes and still control the violent instincts that have ruled his life and actions since his tortured childhood.and warrior training.

And as Evan methodically tracks down the goons with the help of Joey's incredible computer skills, his paternal, protective instincts toward her grow ever stronger. As feisty, street smart and independent as Joey may be, Evan's heart aches as he can see her vulnerability, surrounded by a world of predators, like the ones who put Anca through sheer hell.

     I never dreamed I'd be describing an Orphan X thriller as heartbreaking and an emotional powerhouse, but there you have it.......as well as those hefty doses of bone crushing violence we've all come to expect from this series. An absolute 'don't miss'.

     5 stars (*****).

MAYBE THIS ONCE......COMFY COZY ROMANCE AT A SCENIC MICHIGAN ISLAND LODGE.....(****).

 Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan (2026)

     Romances don't come any more sweet and cozy than this one, the third in the author's 'Rock Bottom Love' series......(but don't worry, a reader can dive into this one as a stand alone and then go back to the first two.)

     Avid consumers of Hallmark movies will find all those familiar, well loved tropes in the plot construction, with the extra bonus of just a little more PG-13 steam than you'd ever encounter in a Hallmark.. Our lead lady, Charlotte 'Charlie' Ashford is fleeing the backwash of an embarrassing viral video posted by the cruel daughters of her mother's new suitor. And she's also taking a breather from a life lived in the shadows of her famous actress mom and her late father, an equally beloved rock star.

     As if we didn't know what comes next, Charlie finds the getaway she needs, along with friendship, kindness and romance, in a beautifully scenic vacation lodge situated on a lake island in Michigan. It's there her uncle works for the lodge's owners the Keller family, a large loving clan of siblings and in-laws who come to embrace Charlie as one of their own. That especially goes for manager Grayson who strikes serious sparks with Charlie, even as guarded and secretive about her past as she is.

     The setting is picture postcard perfect and Charlie and Grayson's growing attraction to each other comes with scenes both tender and humorous. Author Sophie Sullivan certainly knows how to make a reader feel fearful, anxious and protective should anything arise to threaten their happiness. That's the mark of a 4 star romance so what's not to love about that?

     4 stars (****).

ENOLA HOLMES AND THE CLANGING COFFIN.....SHERLOCK'S KID SISTER FACES AN ICONIC ADVERSARY......(****)

 Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer (2026)

     This can't be anything but the happiest news of all of us followers of the feisty, independent and indomitable young sibling of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, as created by author Nancy Springer. And even fans of Sherlock Holmes who've never sampled this series might want to join up with this one.........which pits young Enola and her legendary detective big brother against no less than the 'Napoleon of Crime' himself, Professor Moriarity.

     Enola's entry into the mystery begins with her literally unearthing a helpless young woman who's been buried alive., yet sealed in a coffin with a breathing apparatus and a bell with which the victimized girl can summon rescuers. What kind of twisted, malignant mind could conceive of such a thing? Let's just say it won't be long before you can stop guessing.

     As Enola nurses the traumatized girl, Trevonia, back to health, the pieces of the tortured girl's memory begin to assemble, clearing up the puzzle of her origins and at whose hands she suffered such physical torment. Everything points to that forbidding cadaverous gentlemen who occupies a nearby mansion.........and who also commands an army of vicious, murderous thugs who'll stop at nothing to recapture Trevonia.

     While Enola dodges and outwits the violent goons pursuing both Trevonia and herself, she finds her brother Sherlock rendered haggard and exhausted from his quest to collect evidence against the fiend at the very heart of all these dark doings........... a certain mysterious professor of mathematics reputed to be London's most notorious criminal Kingpin.

     This is simply a terrific fun package of Holmes-ian, lore, action, intrigue and suspense, all of it unfolding across a vivid recreation of late 19th century London. And in Enola, the members of her beloved Women's Club, and the one and only Florence Nightingale, there's some wickedly sharp humor at the expense of the entrenched British patriarchy and the class distinctions of the era.

     For all fans of this series and anyone who loves nothing better than a wonderfully atmospheric tour through the world of Holmes, this one's an automatic 'don't miss'.

     4 stars (****).

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LITTLE ONE.....A SURVIVOR RECALLS HER FATHER'S BIZARRE, CRUEL CULT.......(*****)

 Little One by Olivia Muenter (2026)

     (My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group for an advanced read of "Little One" in exchange for an honest review..)

     Can't say enough about how this book grabbed hold of me and kept me intrigued and enthralled right to the crushing revelations of its last few chapters. What can I say other than it's everything you want in an up-all-night page turner........characters and storyline that hook a reader from the beginning and radiate a constant feeling of 'I can't wait to stop what I'm doing right now so I can get back this book."

     At its core, 'Little One' concentrates on a toxic, dangerous cult and its charismatic, seemingly a wise fatherly founder and leader........who in reality is a monstrous individual who leaves shattered lives and death in his wake.

     Among those victims (and survivors) is Catherine West ,who's built a new life for herself as an adult, after a childhood and adolescence on a communal 'back-to-nature-live-off-the-land' farm established by her father in steamy central Florida.. Her memories of the farm run the gamut from dreamy Garden-of-Eden romps through ripened fields to the sometime capricious cruel and, dictatorial methods of her father,, whose teachings and ideals Catherine tried to faithfully follow. During that time, she'd forged a loving, sisterly bond with Linna. another child of one the farm members. And Linna's sharp intelligence always saw right through the false fatherly benevolence of Catherine's magnetic father, but neither she nor Catherine could imagine the full extent of his evil.

     In the here and how, Catherine's past and identity has been discovered by Reese, a journalist who's seeking to tell the full story of her past, her father and his farm. And that would mean uncovering whatever became of him and those who fell into his grasp......including Linna. whom Catherine has not laid eyes on since they were seventeen and whom she achingly pines for still.

     As 'Little One' shifts back and forth between Catherine's past and present, the book slowly but relentlessly pieces together the twisted tale of life on that Florida agrarian 'paradise and the parts that Catherine, Linna and others played in it. It's story filled with ever growing dread, heartbreak, tragedy and finally some horrific surprises. But author Olivia Muenter finds a way to finish with a particular endearing moment that's bound to leave you pondering and no doubt touch off endless book club discussions.

     I didn't know what to expect with this book which is why I'm happy to describe it as one of those 'can't put it down' reads that everybody searches for. With this one, mission accomplished.

      5 stars (*****).

WOLF HOUR......NORDIC NOIR TRAVELS TO MINNEAPOLIS....AND IT'S JUST AS CHILLING.....(****)

 Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbo (2026)

     (Let me first thank NetGalley and Borzoi Books/Alfred A. Knopf for an advance copy of "Wolf Hour" in exchange for an honest review.....)

     Jo Nesbo, one of the prime practitioners of Nordic Noir, heads over to our shores in Minneapolis and finds just as much murder, human strife, dark secrets, broken souls and a staggering twist to top it all off.

     In 2016, detective Bob Oz is on the trail of serial sniper whose movements, methods and choices of victims remain a confounding puzzle. Bob in the great tradition of urban detectives everywhere, suffers from a broken marriage, alc0holism, severe fits of rage and haunting memories of an almost indescribable past tragedy. But still he doggedly hunts down the suspected sniper known to be the brutal elusive Tomas Gomez, whose bloodthirsty mania as the Cartel enforcer/assassin called Lobo was legendary.

     Bob's path to Lobo isn't made any easier by his crumbling personal life and his ability to aggravate his fellow detectives and superiors. Yet he still manages to strike up some back-and-forth byplay with a woman bartender and forges an odd sort of friendship with a lonely taxidermist who actually encountered the suspect as a potential customer.

     Author' Nesbo's pacing and plotting become somewhat choppy here, as the story throws in a 2022 timeline involving a visiting Norwegian crime writer seeking to assemble the pieces of the Lobo murders together.........for his own reasons. But rest assured, everything does come together with a triple whammer of a twist, a thrilling finish and a satisfying, emotionally touching wrap-up. . This book takes the time to plunge a reader into a deep dive through the heartache and pain of its characters.

     I'd highly recommend 'Wolf Hour' even to those who don't normally include police procedurals in their favored choices. This one's special and kept me in its grip to the last page.

     4 stars (****).