My Sister is Going to Kill Me

MY SISTER IS GOING TO KILL ME by Nina Simon (Mother-Daughter Murder Night) is a closed room mystery of sorts. Two very different sisters, a rule-follower and State Department employee named Liv and an impulsive elementary school art teacher named Mandy, are setting off on their annual sister trip. This year they are rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. It turns out their fellow adventures are all associated with a wellness company called Babette Botanique. The CEO misses the kickoff of the trip and disagreements amongst the leadership become apparent, especially when threats start appearing. Soon, there is a dead body with Liv, Mandy, and their companions in growing danger, not just from the challenging physical environment, but also from an increasingly daring killer amongst them. Honestly, it took me a little while to get over being annoyed by both sisters, but I soon found myself coming to care for them, much as they begrudgingly began to acknowledge their complementary skills and affection for each other. The mystery is suspenseful and full of details in a fabulous setting.

Wisdom Corner by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

WISDOM CORNER by David Heska Wanbli Weiden is the second book, following award-winning Winter Counts, to feature Virgil Wounded Horse, his girlfriend Marie, nephew Nathan, and mentor Jerome Iron Shell who live on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Virgil is trying to move away from his past as a vigilante, but there are still aspects of violence in this novel as he tries to solve a murder, confront a rival gang, and deal with a devious politician. The action keeps coming, but this text also adheres to Weiden’s agreement with the view that crime fiction is “the new literature of resistance.” He deftly weaves in background information about Native American history, like life at the infamous Native boarding schools and “how the children there were compelled to abandon their Indigenous traditions, languages, and spirituality.” As another example, I particularly liked his recounting of the origin of football’s forward pass, involving Pop Warner, Jim Thorpe, and the Carlisle Indian School football team. The author’s note includes several recommended titles for further reading. Both S. A. Cosby (“a raw yet moving journey”) and William Kent Krueger (“riveting thriller that will surprise you to the very end”) have praised this compelling mystery.

The audio book of WISDOM CORNER is narrated by Shane Ghostkeeper who does an excellent job of relaying the action and differentiating the characters. In a recent Bookpage cover story, Weiden says, “I'm hoping that readers will leave the novel with a better understanding of the broken criminal justice system on reservations as well as a sense of life as a Native American in the 21st century.” He succeeds. Learn more about his thinking on this topic in Weiden's New York Times essay, “This 19th-Century Law Helps Shape Criminal Justice in Indian Country.”

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan

WHISPER CREEK by Allison Brennan (North of Nowhere) is a thriller whose relentless pace will keep readers enthralled. Set in rural Texas during a dangerous rainstorm, this novel relates the story of Ellie McKenna and her four children (high schoolers Jake and Avery, plus tween Lyla and eight-year-old Bobby) who are trying to hold onto the family farm after the recent death of Ellie’s husband, John. It is a daunting task made much more difficult by threats and sabotage from a corporate entity intent on taking over the farm. Mother Nature’s hailstorms and rain add even more obstacles like washed out or flooded roadways, disrupted communications, and power outages. Adding to Ellie’s worries are a heavily pregnant neighbor, her elderly grandmother, and a series of local robberies, one of which resulted in the serious wounding of a neighbor. Danger increases hourly as the storm continues and those criminals threaten both Ellie’s ranch and her family. This stand-alone mystery is full of twists and highly recommended for its action-packed adventure.

The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson

Beginning in 1912 and continuing through the Prohibition era, THE MOONSHINE WOMEN by Michelle Collins Anderson is a work of historical fiction set in rural Missouri that was chosen as an Indie Next pick for April 2026. The family saga revolves around the Strong sisters: Rebecca who loves nature and working on the farm; Elsie who is looking for love and a chance to escape to an easier life; and “Shine,” the youngest, who despite her impulsive personality and fiery, red hair, is the most talented at crafting moonshine with her father, Hiram and grandmother, Lidy. Rural life is especially difficult during the Depression, and, after a tragedy, these young women expand their operation to Hot Springs, Arkansas, a vacation spot for mobsters (Al Capone makes an appearance or two) and other wealthy customers. The sisters still suffer setbacks but stay strong (“who they were deep down, that core of pure obstinance and determination”) while also learning to depend on others (“enlarging your circle didn’t dilute love, but miraculously multiplied it”). Anderson has thoroughly researched this era: pointing, for example, to when “the government feared that female bootleggers outnumbered their male counterparts five to one!” She provides a useful list of Sources, some, like this, with online links, plus Discussion Questions for Book Groups. For interested readers, Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is another fictional work which also deals with Prohibition and has strong female characters; it received multiple starred reviews.

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI by Ashley Elston (First Lie Wins) is a VERY twisty tale that is a LibraryReads selection for January. This is a very fast, but also complicated, read with jumps in both perspective and timeline. And then there are the secrets, the lies, and the pretending by various people to be someone they aren’t. Set in Louisiana, the main characters include Camille Bayliss who comes from a well-connected family; her lawyer husband Ben; her brother and sister-in-law, Silas and Margaret Everett; Ben’s law partner; local law enforcement; and Aubrey Price, a local bartender whose parents were killed many years ago in a hit and run accident; plus Aubrey’s housemates (some with criminal associations). Of course, there’s a murder and then there’s “… the tricky part. It's not just the anatomy of an alibi: having someone vouch you were somewhere else when the crime was committed, but it's the psychology of it: that someone is believable.” In her acknowledgments, Ashley Elston says this book was her hardest one to write. Readers will truly appreciate her efforts as they experience the suspense and try to unravel clues. Enjoy!  

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

To be available on Tuesday, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave is the sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me and once again (it is five years later) Hannah and Bailey are forced to run to stay safe. This LibraryReads January 2026 Hall of Fame Selection is a very quick read … I had finished thirty percent in just one sitting … and the suspense and plot twists will keep readers engaged. Owen (Hannah’s husband and Bailey’s father) and Nicholas (Bailey’s grandfather) play prominent roles with multiple timelines and perspectives adding to the tension and feeling of trepidation. Another excellent thriller from Laura Dave which will appeal to those who enjoyed Alias Emma, Going Zero, and First Lie Wins.

The Last Man by Thomas Goodman

Selected this month for our local book group, THE LAST MAN by Thomas Goodman has won the 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award and the 2024 Western Writers of America Spur Award. While fictional, this is based on real events surrounding the Santa Claus Bank Robbery of 1927 in Cisco, Texas. As the publisher says, “One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it.” This is a fascinating look at attitudes towards crime and prisoners in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In fact, during the 1920s, “an average of four banks were hit each day in Texas.” That resulted in massive awards ($5000 which is $85,000 today) for dead bank robbers and “not a penny” for the capture of a live one. And when the attempted robbery goes violently wrong, with the death of lawmen and kidnapping, emotions run high. Library Journal says, "A captivating and creatively told true-crime novel, perfect for patrons who enjoy stories where truth is stranger than fiction." I especially liked Goodman’s reflection on the individuals and factors that impact our life and on second chances. He writes about the role of our fathers (or father figures) and about how we can each be there for someone else, concluding “All their joys and sorrows were precious scenes woven together in a tapestry far larger than any one solitary life.”

Desperate Spies by Mark de Castrique

DESPERATE SPIES by Mark de Castrique is book three (after Dangerous Women) in the Secret Lives series featuring the main character 75-year-old retired FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater. She is incredibly well-connected (head of FBI and other agencies contact her) as well as particularly feisty and determined. All in all, a very fun character who partners with her young relative Jesse and local law enforcement contacts to solve a murder. Events of almost twenty years ago as well as present day espionage related to technological advances in quantum computing are entangled in this mystery. Oh, and there’s also involvement by the Mafia, a Russian oligarch and a ready-for-retirement US Senator. And plenty of planes, a helicopter, and stalking automobiles in a fast-paced, twisty tale. Fun and entertaining, DESPERATE SPIES can be read as a stand-alone and will especially appeal to fans of suspense involving older, female sleuths.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE by Richard Osman is the latest Thursday Murder Club Mystery, the first of which is already a movie. Once again, readers are united with four pensioners: Elizabeth (former spy), Joyce (former nurse), Ron (union activist) and Ibrahim (psychiatrist), beginning at the wedding of Joyce’s daughter. It is there that a friend of the groom asks Elizabeth for help because he is scared someone is trying to kill him. Well, someone does die soon after and the foursome are off to find a murderer and a missing person while some criminal elements are planning a big heist, and Ron’s children are threatened due to a domestic abuse situation. With so many details and coy observations (“it was probably nothing. But everything was nothing until it was something.”), Osman keep readers guessing and laughing. He's also working on a new We Solve Murders story. THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal as well as appearing on The Washington's Post's extensive Fall Preview list.

Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern

TRICKS OF FORTUNE by Lina Chern (Play the Fool) is the second murder mystery to feature tarot card reader Katie True. This time, her good friend, Gina, is a prime suspect in the murder of a local cop, Officer Pete. Chern is an Edgar Award-winning author, and I find her stories to be filled with suspense and humor. I had a sixth sense while reading and was gratified to see the author’s note which refers to the real-life case involving Illinois resident Lt. Joe Gliniewicz. Chern adds her own twists and character secrets. She also flashes back to the time when Katie’s eccentric Aunt Rosie, stressing the need to move forward and accept change, first explained how to read the cards. Those chapters are guaranteed to make readers smile and laugh. TRICKS OF FORTUNE works as a stand-alone mystery, but readers will enjoy reading Play the Fool first. As Katie says, “Our brains are wired to look for patterns. You get a bunch of random images, your brain is automatically going to make a story out of it. It's why the cards work. It's not magic, but it's real.” For more on Chern's  perspective on the cards and writing mysteries, see her interview with Chicago Review of Books. 

White King by Juan Gómez-Jurado

WHITE KING by Juan Gómez-Jurado (see Red Queen and Black Wolf) is the final novel in the best-selling Antonia Scott trilogy, best read in order. Diminutive, cerebral Scott and warm-hearted, “bear” of a man Gutiérrez are wonderful foils and increasingly have come to care for and understand each other. This latest story is also filled with high stakes adventures as other Red Queens and their protectors have been killed or sabotaged. Evil Mr. White sends Antonia on a wild chase to solve or prevent murders – the price if she is not successful? Jon Gutiérrez’s life. Throughout, the writing by Gómez-Jurado is superb as shown by the following few examples. After being released from a kidnapping, Gutiérrez feels “extreme nausea, a dull persistent pain in his back … with legs as rickety as a piece of IKEA furniture.” Or about Antonia: “She's a very poor liar; on a scale of 0 to president, Antonio doesn't even make it onto the scoreboard.” Or imaginatively: “… another free tour of the most interesting parts of her psyche - in an open topped double decker bus it goes around the confusion traffic circle, the monument to rage, and betrayal square. The bus is filled with the people in her life all looking about and pointing, taking selfies.” Gómez-Jurado is so descriptive, allowing his readers to vividly picture scenes: “His eyes are on the Gurney carrying away his boss’s dead body. The rain comes down harder and the plastic wheels throw up tiny droplets as they fall into cracks in the sidewalk.” And he is cynically observant: “There are huge quantities of idiots in the world who think they're intelligent, capable of managing the national soccer team, performing open heart surgery, or solving the immigration problem. They come out with irrefutable answers on each of these topics in only a few minutes. Truly intelligent people have doubts about everything and everyone, but above all about themselves.” Start at the beginning and savor this entire trilogy. Highly recommended.

I primarily listened to the audiobook and narrator Scott Brick is excellent. His voice lends both excitement and wry humor (“It's absolutely not a good idea to drive into police headquarters at 200 kilometers an hour both because of the security barrier and the officers with assault rifles posted at the entrance so they impatiently wait their turn in the line of cars.”) to these twisty, sometimes dark adventures (“We always tell ourselves that tomorrow is another day. That we'll have time to fix things until we don't.”). Interested readers should also note that Amazon has created a Red Queen series, based on the first book.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME by Alex Finlay is a mystery story with more violence than the ones I typically read, but it was a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for May and I am glad that I was intrigued and picked it up. Alison Lane and Ryan Richardson are high school sweethearts until something does in fact happen and Ryan becomes a leading suspect in Alison’s disappearance. That happened in Leavenworth, Kansas five years ago, but early in this mystery story readers will also meet characters from a Philadelphia crime family, students in rural Italy, and former soldiers who served together in Iraq. Finlay cleverly braids the tales and definitely keeps readers guessing with many unexpected twists. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME is an action-packed thriller which received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly (‘’As in Finlay’s previous novels, relentless pacing, impressive characterizations, and the author’s knack for surprise combine to produce top-shelf entertainment.”).

Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado

BLACK WOLF by Juan Gómez-Jurado (Red Queen) is the second action-packed novel featuring Antonia Scott and it, too, is excellent. Although diminutive in stature, Antonia is a giant in intellect, observation, and analysis; she is trained and manipulated by Mentor in her role as part of a select cadre of international law enforcement. Her partner, Jon Gutiérrez, is a large (“He is not fat …”), gay, and formerly disgraced police inspector who is very brave and loyal. Together, they are tasked with helping to find a pregnant woman on the run, Lola Moreno. As the body count mounts, Scott and Guiterrez confront the Beast (Aslan Orlov), local leader of the Russian mafia operating in Spain, near Madrid. Lola’s gunned down husband was deemed a traitor to Orlov’s organization and now Orlov is determined to find and kill Lola, so he calls in the Black Wolf, Chernaya Volchista. Readers will devour this thriller in a few days, appreciating Gómez-Jurado’s skills at narration while developing and sustaining suspense. He could easily be describing his own writing when Gómez-Jurado explains, “that's the way it is with Antonia: to get to know her, you have to fit together pieces of the puzzle with the small details you pick up on and don't blink or you'll miss it.” BLACK WOLF ends with a cliffhanger and I am eagerly awaiting the third entry in this series, The White King, (due out next Spring).  Highly recommended. 

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE by Richard Osman is a terrific offering in The Thursday Murder Club series featuring pensioners Elizabeth (former agent), Ibrahim (part-time psychiatrist), well-meaning scatter-brained retired nurse Joyce, and Ron (former union organizer). They are joined once again by some local, amusingly tolerant cops and a few well-connected criminals. Mixed together, that brings plenty of laughable moments and numerous witty observations as they try to solve the death of an antiques dealer and locate a missing shipment of heroin worth 100,000 pounds. There is a bittersweet element in this entry, too, as Elizabeth reflects on her life with husband Stephen, “the real secret was that when they looked at each other, they each thought they had the better deal.” THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE received a well-deserved starred review from Library Journal. Osman entertains and will make readers both laugh and cry. Humor (“‘people rarely pay in cash these days. It's a nightmare,’ says [drug dealer] Connie. ‘Even I have to take Apple Pay now.’”) is interspersed with more serious and poignant plot points about older people grappling with computer fraud or dementia: “our memories are no less real than whatever moment in which we happen to be living.” 

The Traitor by Ava Glass

THE TRAITOR by Ava Glass is the next espionage thriller in the series which began with the very exciting Alias Emma. Emma Makepeace, a British spy, is back and posing as a staff member on the yacht of a wealthy (and criminal) Russian oligarch. That setting is impressive and isolating. Emma (posing as Jessica) is intent on learning about possible chemical weapons trades so she comes across some very ruthless adversaries. The subsequent deaths and numerous close calls add tension, but unfortunately, the “traitor” of the title is fairly obvious from the start. That means a good deal of the suspense centers on how long until Emma will be betrayed and the extent to which she is likely to be deceived by her handlers. Emma is a very likeable character and her conscience is increasingly coming into conflict with espionage practices – I am looking forward to more in this series.

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

The beautiful cover is what drew me initially to NORTH OF NOWHERE by New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan, but this sensational standalone thriller did not disappoint. Brennan centers the story on two young people: 16-year-old Kristen and her 10-year-old deaf brother Ryan. On the run for the last five years, they have been living with Tony Reed near a ranch in Montana and the suspense-filled adventures largely take place in the wilderness area near Lost Lake as a storm approaches. The siblings are being hunted by their biological father, Boyd McIntyre; he's deeply involved in organized crime so he is joined by several of his henchmen and a local guide while searching the woods. And that group is being trailed by Tony’s employer, Nick Lorenzo, a local rancher concerned about the kids. Nick has alerted their ex-Army aunt named Ruby and she runs into a cop who has been on Tony’s trail for years. Yes, it’s complicated, full of twists and fatal encounters, but also very exhilarating as the tension mounts and characters, particularly Kristen, draw on inner resources to avoid being captured. Family dynamics are key to this fast-paced mystery which will keep readers up at night. Enjoy!

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

I love how the publisher describes ZERO DAYS by Ruth Ware as combining Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive – there is plenty of danger, running, and hiding in this latest thriller from a premier mystery writer (author of The It Girl and many more titles). The main character, Jacintha Cross (called Jack), is a security penetration expert with her “hacktivist” husband, Gabe. He handles the digital side of their testing and she checks for physical weaknesses, finding ways to sneak through or around physical barriers, ID tag checks, etc. Those skills are essential when Jack runs from police after Gabe is killed and she becomes the prime suspect. As with Ware's earlier award-winning titles, there are numerous twists in this page-turning mystery. ZERO DAYS received well-deserved starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal; plus it was a June 2023 LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection. Readers who enjoy suspenseful adventures should also look for Alias Emma by Ava Glass and Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado.

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

ALL THE SINNERS BLEED by S. A. Cosby (Blacktop Wasteland) is another fantastic mix of mystery, crime, and social commentary by this award-winning, gifted author. Cosby introduces Titus Crown, a former FBI agent who is now the Black sheriff in a rural Virginia community. In addition to all of the prejudice and bigotry he faces there is also a school shooting and gruesome discoveries about a serial killer. Like his other novels, Cosby offers non-stop action and an interesting, well-developed cast of characters – readers learn about Titus’s family (deceased Mom, Pop, and brother), former and current girlfriends, and a mix of co-workers, each with their own issues. We listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, including subtle changes in inflection and accent to represent different characters. ALL THE SINNERS BLEED received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, plus it was a LibraryReads selection for June. For yet another positive opinion (“a far better novel than Cosby’s earlier books” which, given their high quality is saying something) see Stephen King’s review in The New York Times. Highly recommended.