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The Last Mandarin

May 29, 2026

last mandarin

Louise Penny is back with her second thriller written with a co-author. In this case it’s award-winning journalist Mellisa Fung who’s helped craft The Last Mandarin. The novel opens on a normal day when an unusual event occurs that creates immediate chaos in the world. A geopolitical terrorist attack that brings together an unlikely couple; a known political activist and her ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: China, contemporary, thriller

Two Kinds of Stranger

March 30, 2026

two kinds

Plot has been my friend for months now so turning to a thriller in a series I’ve loved is no big surprise. Yes, Eddie Flynn, the former grifter turned lawyer is back in Steve Cavanagh’s book, Two Kinds of Stranger. This time he’s representing an Instagram influencer accused of murdering her husband and his mistress, but who claims that the same person was trying to kill her as ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: thriller, 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

Spy novels: Mini-reviews

September 11, 2025

red

Given that thrillers have been such fabulous reading for me lately, I thought it was worth sharing two more this week. Author Alma Katsu worked in the world of U.S. intelligence at the CIA and NSA for 29 years imbuing her Red Widow series with an authenticity that makes both novels, Red Widow and Red London, hard to put down.   Lyndsey Duncan had been a rising star ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mystery, thriller, 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

June Reading Recap

June 30, 2025

reading

The photo above is more an interpretation of my brain these days than a statement about June in Seattle. Apologies to everyone in the path of this staggering heatwave, but it’s been a lovely month here weatherwise. My reading was similar. The stormy part comes into play in that in an effort to mute the surrounding noise (which gets louder every day) I’ve become a bit of a book ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, mystery, thriller

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