NO REST FOR THE WICKED.....A PATHOLOGIST'S HALLOWEEN-ISH HOMETOWN MAKES HER HOMECOMING TURN LETHAL.....(*****)

 No Rest For The Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams (2025)

     Now here's a tasty chilling Halloween treat to drop into your trick-or-treat bag.....chock full of creepy atmosphere, deep dark family secrets and a Halloween destination town to die for.....(in which more than few people have already done so.....with more to come....)

     Pathologist Delores Hawthorne has been summoned by the FBI to return to her not-too-beloved hometown Little Horton, that Happy Halloween Wisconsin spook spot I just spoke of. Her father, a much revered town Patriarch, former mayor and U. S. Senator has disappeared in what looks like a brutal home invasion/kidnapping.. Delores herself fled the town years ago following a terrible, traumatic incident forever haunting her adolescence and adult life. And what an untimely time to come back to the family mansion........with the you-know-what holiday only days away......

     It's no apple-bobbing joy for Delores re-connecting with her imperious stepmother Charlotte, her estranged half=brother Asher and Josie, her teenage half sister she's meeting for the first time. Bad memories float through the air thicker than decorations for the upcoming big night in Little Horton.....with tourists flooding the town as if were Salem, Mass. (only with more cheese products.)

     To add to the already gruesome dark proceedings - a very real serial killer has come to town with any number of people on his Halloween to-do list, and it's beginning to appear related to the awful events in Delores Hawthorne's tortured past.

     I gobbled this book up faster than a jumbo bowl of candy corn.......it's a one book Halloween party all by itself - scares, twists, gore, suspense, even humor and wit when needed. And most surprising of all, a finale filled with genuine bittersweet heart-tugging. that might even moisten some readers' eyes.

     For anyone wanting to get themselves into a seasonal spooky mood (or a perfect read for any chilly night of the year) 'No Rest For The Wicked' provides one-stop shopping. Remember to keep more than your reading light on.

      5 stars (*****).

A MURDEROUS BUSINESS...... TWO WOMEN, SOLVE A MYSTERY AS THEY DEFY THE TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY PATRIARCHY......(***)..

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau (2025) 

     While I found the mystery part of this book only moderately interesting, its evocation of 1912 New York City and Yonkers provides a skillful snapshot of that long ago era........ both its antique charms and the challenging lives led by its second class citizens.....and by that I mean women.

     Two such women are Margot Baxter Harriman and Loretta 'Rett' Mancini, each fiercely independent take-charge people in a world where they're patronized and underestimated by the traditional ruling Patriarchy. Margot, the owner-CEO of her late father's company, has discovered a secret illegal conspiracy within her business. To ferret out the perpetrators, she hires Rett, a ready-for-anything girl who's more or less taken over her father's Private Investigation agency. .

     In addition to the society norms these unique women are already breaking, each of them separately engaging in queer romances has violated their era's most forbidden of taboos. Together, they make a formidable team of detectives, up against villains who aren't afraid to resort to murder to achieve their ends. But then Rett isn't afraid to bring along her brass knuckles and even a lock-picking expert when required.

     As much as I enjoyed the vivid characterization of the two leads and the telling portrait of their life and times, the plot itself doesn't contain much forward momentum and never picks up any real urgency. If Margot and Rett's adventures are to continue on in additional books, the series could use some immediate infusions of excitement and humor. Otherwise, if things don't liven up a little more for this dynamic duo, I'm not sure I'd check in on them again. A 2 & 1/2 star read which, for those cozy 1912 depictions, I'll round up to a 3.   (***).

ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS....A BEST SELLING NOVELIST'S DARK PAST STALKS HER ON A BOOK TOUR.....(*****)

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (2025) 

     This is the kind of thriller that's a treasure to find......a book that takes hold of you, fills you with a a sense of perpetual anxiety and dread and forces you put off everything you're doing to finish it.

     And if that isn't enough for readers, it fully plunges you into a bestselling author's frenetic world of agents, editors, publicists, devoted fans and a cross country tour of bookstores. Not just any author but one with a dark, haunting past and and now some person (or persons) who've crawled out from that past with sinister intent.

     Tessa Calloway's book rocketed to unheard of success and adoration with its inspirational story of a woman, (much like Tessa) who seized the day and took full control of her life. What her millions of fervent readers and her publishing team don't know.....the tragic terrible incidents from her childhood, one of which left her vilified in public and emotionally scarred for life. But out of her pain, she crafted her novel and lead character who've captured the world's imagination.

     Then author Hank Phillippi Ryan begins to slowly but surely turn the screws on Tessa. In the midst of her exhausting publicity tour of bookstores, someone's methodically stalking her in a variety of escalating methods.....cryptic notes, mysterious packages and elusive, disturbing appearances at her book signings. And Tessa's face-time calls to her doting husband and two children only serve to worsen her growing fears. Who exactly are these two new women neighbors who've suddenly become an intrusive part of her family's life?

     The mounting suspense and feeling of unease reach near unbearable levels here, which can bring a reader to the point of doing nothing else but stay glued to a chair to keep turning those pages. And the added bonus comes from author Ryan's knowing takes on writers and writing, on the power of creating stories that resonate with authors and their readers.

     For everyone who can't get enough thrillers that expertly work on your nerves, jump this one to the top of your list.  5 stars (*****)

A GUIDE TO FALLING OFF THE MAP......A DOWN UNDER ROAD TRIP STRIKES SPARKS FOR TWO LOVING FRIENDS SINCE CHILDHOOD (****)

 A Guide To Falling Off The Map by Zanni L. Arnot (2025)

      Heartbreaking thunder from Down Under? Two hurting souls, friends since childhood, finally realizing they're in love? And on top of all that, a rollicking (sometimes poignant) road trip though scenic Australia?

     You had me at all of the above. I couldn't wait to sign on. And this book didn't disappoint in delivering two lead characters you can't help but worry about and care for.

     Vinnie's a born theater girl, rocked by the suicide death of her performing arts loving mother. Big dreams possess her - Julliard, a life in NYC, Broadway stardom, and for the very right now, being picked as her school's Drama Captain. Her lifelong friend Roo dropped out of school to help support his mom and hopefully make something of his gifted eye for artistic photography.

     But life and cruel fate have conspired to turn their lives and dreams upside down. Vinnie feels hurt and betrayed by her best theater pal Lilah, utterly demolishing their dreams of sharing starry acting careers together. Even worse, Vinnie's struggling with the early debilitating symptoms of MS, the disease that led to her mom's suicide.

     Roo's dreams of a photography career flew off the rails too, as he's been bouncing from (and losing) one dead end, low paying job after another. But one thing remains constant for him and Vinnie - their fierce, unending devotion to a loving friendship forged in childhood.

     Can anything heal and redeem these two broken extraordinary young friends. What else but......(let's shout it all together).....Road Trip!)

     And off they do go, in a sputtering old Kombi van once belonging to Vinnie's mom. Planning success and fame for Roo, Vinnie encourages him to take enough memorable photos for her to arrange in a public exhibition. That he does, but Roo becomes well aware of Vinnie's escalating physical deterioration while they both cope with the reality that what they feel for each other is far more than friendship.

     As the book keeps you glued to it, all you'll want to do is either hug the two lead characters or just push them into each other to they can they finally comprehend what we've known all along. But then again, if we did that too early, we'd miss out on seeing them take that postcard-worthy tour of Australia (and saving us airfare and hotel money)

     For everyone who favors a heart tugging visit to "love-dawns-on-best-friends' territory, here's your next stop.

     4 stars (****).

RULES FOR FAKE GIRLFRIENDS......AN AMERICAN STUDENT IN BRITAIN FINDS UNLIKELY LOVE AND A HEARTFELT SCAVENGER HUNT.

 Rules For Fake Girlfriends by Raegan Revord (2025)

     First let me say that for a debut YA novel from a very young author, this is a remarkably accomplished, ambitious first effort.

     In terms of contemporary romance, it's obvious that author Raegan Revord loves and cherishes all the tropes that have been seemingly carved in stone over the years. (You can tell from the chapter headings that announce these many expected, familiar plot turns that by now readers (and filmgoers) know by heart.)

     Much to her widowed dad's worry and disappointment, college freshman Avery puts off her enrollment in Columbia to spend a year at a British seaside college attended by her late beloved mother. Her primary reason - to follow the scavenger hunt clues her mother left for her scattered all around the campus and surrounding countryside. Not even off the train yet, she's managed to fall into a queer fake-dating relationship with live-wire, vivacious Charlie, who's trying to make her own recently ex-girlfriend jealous.

     Avery collects a small coterie of friends, but the fake dating (as we all knew it would) turns into something much more and collides with sudden emotional complications that upends the young freshman's life choices.

     A lot's going on in this book for a fledgling author to take on at one time and author Revord does fall into the inevitable pitfalls of overwriting and repetitious prose. The scavenger hunt, no doubt meant to provide heartfelt moments along the way, struck me as vague, far fetched and not well thought out. And toward the final third, it mostly falls to the wayside when far more pressing issues take hold of Avery (such as her up-and-down Charlie romance, her estrangement from her longtime best friend and worries about her father's now solitary life.).

     But I cannot fault the book's passion, enthusiasm and empathy for all its characters and I think other readers will too, even if the tropes are so familiar to one and all. Once started, I simply had to follow Avery's story to its conclusion, so that makes her creator, Raegan Revord an author to watch out for.

      3 stars (***).

WISH YOU WERE HER......AN AUTISTIC SUPERSTAR COMES HOME FOR THE SUMMER....UNLIKELY ROMANCE ENSUES...(*****)

 Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicholl (2025)

          No surprise that I tore into this one and finished it in a day, having previously raved about Elle McNicholl's previous charming small town romance, "Some Like It Cold".

     Once again, she takes us back to what's now one of my favorite fictional comfy-cozy destinations, the beautiful Lake Pristine. (For me, I'm thinking it must be due to the town's main attractions, the Arthouse cinema, the picture postcard lake and now....that bookstore.)

     And once again it's an irresistible, clutch-your-heart story about a neurodivergent teen girl who struggles with first love, declaring her own identity and coping with the anguish of how she's perceived when dealing with the outside world of 'neurotypicals'.. (But this time, this particular girl doesn't find herself alone on the autism scale.)

     Allegra Brooks is an 18 year old universally adored superstar of TV shows and films, with her dedicated, possessive fan base unaware that her guarded, sometimes distant demeanor comes from her autism. Seeking a much needed summer respite from the public eye, she returns to her home town of Lake Pristine to work in her father's bookstore. And she's arrived right at the start of the town's nationally popular summer book festival, sponsored by her dad and managed by his young, masterful (and prickly) bookseller Jonah Thorne.

     Allegra and Jonah right away clash personalities as if lifelong enemies, while each separately find solace and friendship in their comforting, anonymous e-mail friends. Anybody care to take a wild guess as to whom each of them has been communicating with on line, while they snap at each other in person?

     If this all sounds like 'Gilmore Girls', 'Notting Hill' and 'You've Got Mail thrown into a blender, you've got the idea. Allegra cultivates some new friends and one cruel enemy while Jonah holding on to own secrets, can't help succumbing to this one-of-a-kind warm hearted girl. When Allegra's fame threatens to overwhelm them both, you can expect to find yourself racing through the pages as you anxiously cheer them on.

     As in her first Lake Pristine romance, author McNicholl creates her autistic characters with enormous compassion and insight, so you find yourself falling in love with them at the same time they're falling in love in the story. . Anyone seeking the kind of romcom that won't hesitate to make you go, "Awww....", head for Lake Pristine ASAP.

     5 stars (*****).

JOY MOODY IS OUT OF TIME....AN ODD FAMILY FACES THE FUTURE (LITERALLY), UNTIL THE PAST ENGULFS THEM (*****)

 Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne (2025)

     What a strange, sad, heartbreaking yet somehow uplifting book this is. Though the cental plot may seem initially far fetched and way out there, Kerryn Mayne's skill at creating fascinating characters had my full attention from page one. And her additional talent to pull on your heartstrings without mercy is on full gripping display, especially in the book's second half.

     In a beachside Australian town, twin sisters Cassie and Andie have lived their lives under the all encompassing total control of their mother Joy, the manager of a busy laundromat. Home schooled and forbidden access to TV, phones or any social life outside the confines of the store, the twins now approach their 21st birthday with a monumental event in store. Joy, who's told her daughters that she's a time-traveler from the not-too-distant future, prepares them for a trip into that era she came from. According to Joy, the twins are needed to fulfill their destiny as freedom fighters against the autocratic, dystopian society that rules 2050.

     Is Joy completely insane? Or simply an overreaching fabulist who's spun so many fanciful fantasies for these children she practically raised in captivity that all three of them believe Joy's 'truth' is in fact, the truth.

     But maybe not all three of them. The gentle timid and sweet natured Cassie stays enthralled by Joy, while the sharp witted, realistic Andie wants a life outside of Joy's self-contained universe. And Andie's developed more than few skeptical doubts about the time traveling adventures supposedly planed for her and Cassie on their birthday.

     Some catastrophic events, both past and present overtake Joy and her twins, leading to no end of long held secrets about this family. Tragic, heartrending revelations unfold, none of which I'd ever want to spoil here. I'd only caution this.....prepare to have your emotions hammered away at in both brutal and benevolent ways.

     You can enjoy this book as either an astonishing, bizarre, psychological thriller with a healthy share of twists, or simply as a contemporary, realistic Grimm's fairy tale, grounded by its truly unforgettable characters. Either way, it's quite a unique story, well told. and a terrific read for anyone who loves to plunge into something off the beaten track.

      5 stars (*****).