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The View From Here
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: June 23, 2026No body, no closure.
Nicole Baster’s husband, Truman, is an adrenaline junkie. He’s already climbed the highest mountains, and now he’s performing a deep dive. But is he ready? Or is he just looking to escape?
Nicole thought her house was haunted before the accident, but now she’s losing her ever-loving mind! She is seeing, smelling, even hearing Truman. Getting text messages from unknown phone numbers. Is something supernatural going on, or could Truman still be alive?
Above all is the overarching guilt for the one thing she didn’t get to tell him before he drowned. Could this be his revenge?
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced readers’ copy -
She Must Go
Author: A. J. Campbell
Publisher: Code Grey Publishing
Published: July 10, 2026I was so happy when I started reading this book because I knew from the opening lines that I would enjoy it. I mean, I have enjoyed other books by A. J. Campbell, but this is her best to date!
There were so many things that rang true: Justin, a mesmerizing lecturer; Scarlet, who believes her sister’s death was no accident; Immy, the friendly, engaging woman with a familiar first name, who gets a little too chummy with your partner; and Beth, trying so hard to not jump to conclusions.
This is the kind of book you want to bring to the beach or on vacation, or just set aside a day, because you’re going to want to stay with it until you finish.
And I can’t wait to see what A. J. writes next! -
Three Reasons for Revenge
Author: Dervla McTierman
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: June 21, 2026A visibly upset college student arrives at the police station to report an assault by a campus psychologist. She asks for Detective Judith Lee by name. Judith remembers a similar report several years ago. One in which she failed the victim. This time, she’s determined he won’t get away with it.
Yet, when she reaches out to Alexis, she’s not answering her phone, not at the address she gave, and what’s more, the college has no record of her.
And then packages start arriving. To three seemingly unconnected individuals.
This is a fast-moving novel of revenge, with just the right amount of emotion, chilling incidents, and twists.
This eBook was gifted to me through Scene of the Crime/William Morrow, and I am pleased to be introduced to this new-to-me author! -
Just One Bite
Author: Miranda Rijks
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Published: June 28, 2026You may not be famous. You may not be rich. But you can definitely relate to Brittany as she becomes a victim of a “Deep Fake”.
Social media shaming has become a kind of sport for some people. Miranda does an excellent job of showing how someone with a little skill, the right AI tools, and unhinged motivation can create social media posts that can bring down a career. Reputations. A family.
The tension builds as the incidents become more threatening, more vile. You’ll fly through this book, one of Ms. Rijks best to date!
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator, Booksprout and the author for an advanced reader’s copy. -
Heather
Author: Caitlin Mullen
Publisher: Celadon Books
Published: June 9, 2026As a long-time resident of New Jersey, I was delighted every time the author brought up the myth of the Jersey Devil, born with “the head of a goat, bat’s wings, horns and hooves,” after Mother Leeds cursed her 13th pregnancy. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is the setting for Heather, and living in NJ the second thing you learn is that much of the Pine Barrens is preserved land. The first thing you learn, though, is the Jersey Devil myth!
But beyond that, this is a cold case, reopened by newly installed Chief of Police Callie Hauser. The case revolves around an abandoned baby, but brings up so many revelations to Callie that she wasn’t expecting – her mother, her father. The creepy guy with the snake tattoo. An unnamed “older man”. Twins, one of whom was reported pregnant when she was young, and both now missing. On top of that, she has to battle the “old boys” network that thrives in her small town police department.
While this book is classified as a mystery/thriller, it also makes a statement about small-town culture, secrets, unsupported families, sexism, trauma that continues across generations, and the lack of justice.
This was an emotional read, but with a feisty main character who was bull-headed enough to sort out this complex mystery. The comparisons to Mare of Easttown are spot on, and this would make an engaging TV series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book. I’m so happy I put this on my summer reading list! -
Notes From Planet Widow
Author: Gwen Suesse
Publisher: Cantando Press
Published: September 10, 2024A quiet feeling of transition runs through NOTES FROM PLANET WIDOW, a reflective story about grief, loneliness, and the slow effort of rebuilding life after sudden loss.
Synopsis:
When loss changes the structure of everyday life, even familiar routines can begin to feel uncertain. In this deeply personal account, Gwen Suesse explores the emotional reality of widowhood, from the exhaustion of carrying grief privately to the disorienting feeling of no longer recognizing the life you once knew so well.
The author quotes Buddha:
In the end, only three things matter:
- How much you loved.
- How gently you lived.
- How gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.
The author explains how she got through widowhood using Grace, Curiosity, and Questions as her guides in “finding her way after loss”.
Author bio:
Gwen Suesse is a writer, certified life coach, and grief support practitioner whose work focuses on navigating loss, identity, resilience, and personal growth. Her background includes education, coaching, choral conducting, human resources, and leadership roles in nonprofit and community organizations. In addition to her latest work on grief and rebuilding after loss, she is also the award-winning author of WOMANSONG: BALANCE AND HARMONY IN A FEMININE KEY. Gwen lives in Tryon, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Visit her at gwenuesseautshor.com. -
Hollow
Author: Celina Myers
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Published: December 17, 2021I waited far too long to read this! I love a good vampire story (True Blood, anyone?), but I’m very picky about the type of vampire story I will read. I was drawn to this cover, but the story kept me engaged. I read this while on vacation in Italy (Cinque Terre) which was so appropriate! The book starts out with a prologue that makes you think it’s a historical novel, but wait for it…
This is the story of found family. Mia Adair is turned and must choose between the Bellamys and the Suttons – two vampire houses with long lineages. We are right there with her, asking, “why her?” Was it because she had a special gift the Bellamy and Sutton families needed? Or was there a far richer purpose in store for her?
What I loved about this was the modern spin, the Cinderella story aspect, and the way the families lured Mia with closets full of designer clothes, with mansions and fast cars, and love interests that were just enough to add a bit of spice.
Thank you to Booktrovert for my gifted copy! -
The Gatepost
Author: Tim Weed
Publisher: Podium Entertainment
Published: May 26, 2026As an obsessive reader of all the Carlos Castaneda books, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book about a daughter’s (Esme) quest to discover what happened to her father (Gregory), when he disappeared 20 years ago, when she was 12 years old. Once touted for his “bestselling book on Indigenous shamanic practices and hallucinogenic experience”, Gregory eventually resigned from his position at Columbia University to pursue what he hoped would be a life-changing discovery.
The book centers around Mesoamerican artifacts, a hidden cave, a curandera (healer/medicine woman) from Oaxaca, and the use of psilocybin mushrooms in pursuit of the Inframundo (mythical underworld/netherworld).
I loved the discussions of Mesoamerican culture, the piracy of artifacts, and the introduction of the Sebastian Bonney character as the bad guy. But, Sebastian’s character was a little on the nose. You can almost see him swirling a cape and twirling a handlebar mustache.
There is a love interest when Esme invites a struggling geological consultant to help her find the cave her father wrote about in his journals, although an out-of-character outburst by Esme puts the relationship in danger. There is intrigue when a stela is found (a stone pillar, that may have been the portal to the Inframundo), and a race to see who will claim it.
Like the Castaneda novels, I wanted more. I knew I would never really discover answers, so for me the book is all about the journey, the suspense, the theory of the multiverse, the descriptions of the mushroom-induced hallucinations, and the philosophy of an afterlife or alter-life.
Many thanks to NetGalley, and to Podium Entertainment for the chance to read this with my ears as well as on paper. -
The One Day You Were My Husband
Author: Rosie Walsh
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Penguin
Published: June 4, 2026
Goodreads Win: 1 out of 16,928 entries!The overarching story is a love story, spanning over a decade, between Carrie and Johan.
Do you ever think about the one who got away? Carrie and Johan did. But in between, Johan was arrested in Thailand (did he or didn’t he do it), Carrie got her MD, remarried and had premie twins, quit her job, and reapplied for her job.
There were so many people keeping secrets from Carrie about that night on the beach in Thailand, when she wed Johan, and lost him the same night. A chance meeting undoes all the resolve she’s built up that has enabled her to keep going.
There was enough romantic tension to keep me this side of tears and there was just enough intrigue and suspense, and a final twist, to keep this thriller lover happy.
Thank you so much to Goodreads, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Penguin for an ARC copy. -
Everyone I Love is Dead
Author: Amber Leigh Larrain
Publisher: Indie
Published: March 13, 2026If everyone close to you died, year after year, on the same day, would you believe you were cursed? Brittany certainly does, and most people don’t believe that – until after one too many deaths – they do. And the nail in the coffin (so to speak) is when her partner dies. Not a spoiler, because come on, you know he’s going to!
Up until this point, the book read like a dark cozy to me (is that a new genre?), and what kept me invested was the setting that takes place in the next town over from me in southern NJ and all the place names I recognized. But then, a podcaster decides to get to produce the story through a series of interviews with Brittany, and that’s when it gets really interesting. Brittany doesn’t know who to trust, if the podcast is opening her up to a social media nightmare, or if the killer is coming for her next.
I read this in one day because I had to get to the conclusion, and the ending was worth the read!
Thank you to the author for an advance reader’s copy, and Amber, I hope to see you at the Collingswood Book Festival this year (IYKYK!)
Book Cravings 