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Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar

February 10, 2026

missing sam

It’s the July 4th weekend when Ali‘s wife Sam goes missing on her early morning run in their upscale Cleveland Heights neighborhood. Her disappearance sets in motion events that keep Thrity Umrigar’s new novel, Missing Sam, at a slow burn over the mystery, but ignites a blaze in the response the community has to the situation. Aliyah Mirza is a U.S. citizen, a Muslim whose ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, mystery, suspense

Twenty Years Later

January 19, 2026

twenty years

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea combines true crime television, celebrities, and 9/11. The story begins with the salacious murder of a famous author. The circumstantial evidence at the scene leads to a suspect, Victoria Ford, being indicted. Before the case can proceed to trial she disappears. Twenty years later her DNA is identified from a tiny bone fragment preserved ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mystery, suspense, vacation reading

Serial Killers: Mini-Reviews

October 30, 2025

deadly animals

Happy Halloween Eve! I thought I’d pre-game tomorrow night’s creepy mood by sharing two reviews of novels about serial killers. You know, the kind of books you want to read with the lights on. In the middle of the day. And not alone.     Marie Tierney’s Deadly Animals is set in a small town near Birmingham, England. Ava is a teenage girl with a troubled family, ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: suspense, thriller, vacation reading

Her Many Faces

September 9, 2025

many faces

When four wealthy, prominent men are found poisoned at their exclusive club the police waste no time in apprehending the killer. Katherine Cole was the server at their private party and the last one to see them alive. She was also caught at the train station trying to leave London and when detained incriminated herself. With all these facts it might seem there’s no mystery, but ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, mystery, suspense, vacation reading

July Reading Wrap-Up

July 31, 2025

July

My surprise over the disappearance of July probably comes as no surprise as I seem to lament how quickly the months go on a regular basis now. It's a disconnect from the feeling that we’re years into this president’s term based on the chaos and toxicity. The only thing keeping my poor psyche from exploding is how beautiful July’s weather was—cool, cloudy mornings turning to ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: fantasy, mini-reviews, mystery, suspense, thriller

The Staircase in the Woods

June 9, 2025

staircase

I’m not a huge horror fan, but I am easily influenced by a book’s cover and that was all it took to lead me into Chuck Wendig’s novel A Staircase in the Woods. Who could resist a cover like this? Or this premise: Five high school friends partying in the woods discover a staircase in a clearing. They dare Matthew, one of the five, to climb it and he does. And then he jumps off ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: horror, mystery, supernatural, suspense, vacation reading

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