The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

THE DYING LIGHT is the latest Detective Matthew Venn novel from prolific author Ann Cleeves (in her fortieth year as a published author). This new mystery follows The Heron’s Cry and The Raging Storm, both of which were also narrated by Jack Holden. Once again, he does a superb job of conveying the emotions and backgrounds of Venn and his team, Sergeant Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May, supplying local accents as needed. In this case, the police are investigating the death of two seventeen-year-old girls, Hannah Armstrong (daughter of a UK politician) and Lottie Cauldwell (who craved attention as her parents are divorced). Cleeves excels at introducing well-rounded characters, including the grieving parents, local business owners, school friends, and Hannah’s boyfriend and his family. It’s a jumble of motives and relationships, laced with resentment and secrets which Cleeves’ many readers will enjoy. I am already looking forward to the next in this series.

The Everywhere Millionaire by Owen Zidar & Eric Zwick

THE EVERYWHERE MILLIONAIRE by Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick explores “Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There” in a fascinating way. As one would expect from their credentials -- Zidar is a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and Zwick is the Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business – the authors rely on economic and government data to portray these American millionaires. Building on over a decade of study and research, they explore so many aspects (inheritance vs. self-made; type of industry; impact of the tax code; human capital associated with the owners) that are truly interesting and somewhat surprising. Just one example: "For every member of the Forbes 400, more than four thousand private business owners each have at least $10 million in net worth [together, more than thirteen times the wealth of that list].” Plus, “the average private business owner in the top 1 percent [of income] made 1.5 times as much as the average public company CEO.” These authors also personalize the data by sharing numerous anecdotes and stories of these individuals, particularly small business entrepreneurs who often experienced income mobility and fulfillment of the American Dream. One such example is Dick Portillo who founded the Chicago-based restaurant chain; another is Karen Bentlage who expanded her wealth through tanning salons and personal care. Both of these millionaires “give back” through donations of money and time, but the authors show that many others use their wealth to influence public policy in an ultimately self-serving manner, saying “We sometimes call them the Stealthy Wealthy because they fly under the radar. … We want to make the rich visible and correct misconceptions about who they really are.”

In addition to being reviewed and summarized by NPR’s Planet Money, THE EVERYWHERE MILLIONAIRE appears on the Next Big Idea Club’s must-read book list for September 2026. As Publishers Weekly says, “At turns inspiring and maddening, this is a vivid depiction of America’s millionaire class.” I, too, found this account to be very readable and would definitely recommend.

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley

MURDER AT THE GRAND ALPINE HOTEL by Lucy Foley (The Guest List and others) features Miss Marple, the famous Agatha Christie character. Miss Marple, her friend, and her friend’s companion are vacationing in a Swiss hotel. Also staying there are an English businessman, his wife, his mistress, and his former comrade in arms. Set in 1950, the story is told by alternating narrators (The Help, The Wife, The Friend, and The Star) and harkens back to events during WWII. Almost cutoff from the world, there is a sense of menace and it’s not long before a dead body appears. Evoking a winter wonderland, Foley supplies plenty of suspects and surprises along with sharing many of Miss Marple’s references to the villagers of St Mary Mead. Chosen as a LibraryReads Hall of Fame title for September 2026, MURDER AT THE GRAND ALPINE HOTEL is sure to engage and entertain readers. Booklist, Library Journal (“a modern tribute to Christie's classic Marple novels that is perfect for avid mystery lovers or those new to the genre”), and Publishers Weekly all gave well-deserved starred reviews.

Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer

ODE TO THE HALF-BROKEN by Suzanne Palmer (Hugo award-winning author) is a work of science fiction that will touch your heart. It is set in the near future after a major conflict between humans and mechs or machines. The main character is a sentient robot that has protected its solitude for roughly twenty years. An act of aggression causes it to start on a journey where it establishes relationships with machines, humans, and other life forms like a cyborg dog named Atticus. Sad and disturbing, but ultimately uplifting, ODE TO THE HALF-BROKEN received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly (“Palmer’s vision for how society might reshape itself after massive conflict is inventive, but where the tale truly shines is its captivating characters and the ways in which they’re willing to work together.”). Highly recommended for fans of Automatic Noodle, Klara and the Sun, and Monk and Robot.

The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright

THE HUMAN SCALE by Lawrence Wright is a suspenseful thriller set in the Middle East. It is a tough read emotionally because of the violence involved and its relationship to real current events. It is also difficult to follow all of the characters, although Wright provides a list. This novel received starred reviews from both Booklist (“profoundly insightful thriller, creating involving, conflicted, and thoughtful characters trapped in horrific predicaments”) and Publishers Weekly (“an uncomfortable and unforgettable plunge into the heart of a devastating conflict.”). For some additional background on Wright’s thinking, see the interviews in which Wright participated at Live from the LBJ Library: Part I and Part II. Overall, THE HUMAN SCALE made me think of how informative it was to read (at another teacher’s suggestion) Fast Times in Palestine by Pamela Olson; written over a decade ago, a new paperback has been released recently. As Wright points out, we need to let go of what he calls “durable stereotypes” and work towards peace.

Off Ramp by Spencer Cox

OFF RAMP by Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah, offers his take on “How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt.” Cox came to national attention after his rather level-headed and heartfelt response to the 2025 assassination of political activist, Charlie Kirk. In his new book, Cox references that time and argues, “The problem is that we aren't just disagreeing with each other; we're despising each other…. Disagreement says, ‘you are wrong.’ Contempt says, ‘you are beneath me.’ In OFF RAMP Cox combines elements of a memoir, referencing interactions with both the Trump and Biden administrations, with pleas for action by the average American. He notes that “the change we desperately need in our country will never come solely from the Oval Office or the halls of Congress." He advocates for actions with a list of almost a dozen principles that center on building community and forgiveness, including “Lead with Curiosity not Contempt,” “Resist the Urge to Tell People They’re Wrong,” and “Belonging Before Persuasion.” Too bad that our leaders do not show this grace more regularly. Whether actions by the average person will have an impact is certainly debatable, too, although there is widespread concern across party lines. Here are links to a 2020 Pew Research Center study and a more recent one related to the increase in perceived political violence. Cox, ever hopeful, writes, “… you are not alone. Millions of other strong and good citizens are holding the line in churches, schools, and communities across America.” Roughly fifteen percent of Cox’s text is devoted to notes and there is a helpful index.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

WE CHASE SHADOWS by Richard Osman is another We Solve Murders mystery featuring a writer, Rosie D’Antonio, her friend and retired cop, Steve Wheeler, and his daughter-in-law, Amy, who is also a bodyguard.  They are hired by Vern Blackwood, a businessman involved with selling fake vitamins, to find out who killed one of his bodyguards, leaving a note signed by his longtime rival, Jakob Eriksson. Together, they supply plenty of cheerful banter – one interaction between Amy and her husband, Adam, is particularly amusing and surprising – although more and more corpses appear. The mystery (described as both “overly convoluted and too easy to solve” by Publishers Weekly) is not Osman’s best, but the character interaction redeems this tale as loyal fans await yet another of Osman’s Thursday Murder Club selections.