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Review

Review

Good Girls Die Bored

by Henrietta Thornton

Working security at an LA stripper club should be an easy gig for Juno Hardwick after time as a marine in Afghanistan when her friend was killed, a loss that haunts Juno. But her surveillance background means she can’t take it easy and that she’s soon back with military colleagues, this time in the high-end security business. From the start, her gig as part of a team guarding journalist Maelle Ruiz—think the crack investigation skills of Ronan Farrow, with a mark on her back from uncovering corruption. Maelle won’t reveal details of exactly why she needs protection at an upcoming celebrity-packed gala, and the team leaders are also less than forthcoming. Secrecy heightens the thrills as Juno moves from one exciting chase to another and ends up in a how-can-she-escape trap as the book closes, with twists thrown in to keep readers’ heads spinning. Juno is a character with guts and flaws to spare, with the several women surrounding her in this breakneck-speed tale equally complicated and interesting. One for lovers of women-led espionage.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

All We Hide

by Brian Kenney

Book of the Week February 26, 2026

Brilliant. Groundbreaking. Emotionally intense. These adjectives, and more, just begin to touch on Gigl’s latest novel, which can be read as a cold-case murder, a domestic tragedy, or the disappearance of a young trans woman. Lieutenant Lauren Kelly, herself trans, has been relegated to working in the Homicide Unit at the Cold Case Unit in the District Attorney’s office. She knows she’s expected to wait out her time till retirement, while ignoring the harassment she regularly undergoes. But Lauren isn’t one to remain silent, and working in the DA’s office opens her to several ongoing narratives that take her deeper into her family history, from her Mom, who disappeared when she was a young child, to her father, now struggling with Alzheimer’s. A stand-alone, this book is an excellent choice for a reading group that would appreciate its rapid pace and treatment of many of the characters.—Brian Kenney

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Review

Murder Like Clockwork

by Dodie Ownes

Full of twists and turns and characters whom readers will both love and hate, Murder Like Clockwork is the second title in Whyte’s 10 Marchfield Square series—and if you didn’t read the first, don’t worry! You can still drop right into this delightful mystery that’s set in the Belgravia area of London, overseen by grande dame Celeste. Audrey is a housecleaner, and Anton Petrov’s apartment is a special case. She cannot arrive early, or leave late. And then there are the dozens of antique clocks that must be wound every week. And, it never seems like anyone has been there between her weekly visits. One frigid day, she arrives early and discovers a body neatly placed on a plastic sheet. When the police finally get there, they go inside to find…nothing. No body, no blood. When Audrey consults with co-sleuth Lewis, who hates his job as a recruiter and would rather be a mystery writer, the hunt to find the murderer takes off. Whyte delights readers with characters eccentric and homey, willingly ignorant and intensely involved. Was it revenge? A contract kill? A money grab? Audrey and Lewis slowly but surely unravel the mystery and offer a completely satisfying wrap-up. Here’s hoping that Whyte keeps this recruiter and cleaner and their clever banter busy for many more titles.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Turning the Page on Murder

by Danise Hoover

Bookstore-themed mysteries are cozies, right? Well, not this one. Bookseller Kate is in a complicated relationship with security-specialist Gary, who has taken a new job guarding a high-tech company run by an extremely secretive woman. Kate lives with her great-aunt Roselyn, who is losing herself to Alzheimer’s and no longer has a firm grasp on reality. Kate follows her aunt through the orchard late at night to the neighbor’s house, and finds her standing over the neighbor’s body with a knife in her hand. Gary arrives, as do the local police, and Kate cobbles together a false story that ends with her fingerprints on the knife. She is convinced that the only thing that will save her aunt is for her, Kate, to solve the murder. Car chases, cyber-crimes, hidden codes, and of course more blood follow in this bookstore mystery that, though we barely visit the store, sees a book plays a leading role in solving the knotty puzzle. Unexpected, fast paced, and somewhat confusing, this is hard to put down.—Danise Hoover

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Review

All Her Ghosts

by Dodie Ownes

Prith’s YA debut is set in a world where the dead have lived alongside the living for nearly 20 years. Persephone Green is 17 years old, and her whole life people have been talking about the mysterious Ghost Wars. She and her mother, Chloe, move every few years, always suddenly, making Persephone the weird new kid at school over and over again. Chloe spends all her time in a locked laboratory with strange equipment and warning systems and refuses to discuss her work, even when alarms start going off. When Persephone meets Sebastian, something pulls her to him, and they recognize that they share one very unusual trait: neither has a heartbeat. When ghost swarms begin to grow and threaten to overtake their high school, the two decide it is time to find out who, and what, they are. The teens light out for the secret and now deserted facility that may hold the truth, pursued by Chloe, the military, and ghosts, as well as Sebastian’s friend Cain, who seems to know a lot more about Persephone than she does. This genre blender will appeal to teens who share feelings of alienation, distrust of adults, and love a good conspiracy tale—with spirits!—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Death Do Us

by Dodie Ownes

Bea can’t believe her luck when handsome and well-heeled Jake spots her at a bar, a meeting that which blooms into coupledom, and soon , engagement. He is kind and thoughtful, and she should just put her ex- completely out of her mind. That relationship didn’t end well, and this is a chance for a fresh start. Bestie Joy has her doubts, though:  – Bea, with her green hair and archeology degree, has never been the “blushing bride” type, and fitting in with Jake’s large and wealthy family will be challenging. As soon as Bea puts on her engagement ring, a family heirloom and allegedly a relic from an ancient culture, things start to go awry. Her hair and skin begin to deteriorate, weird visions occur, and worse, her ex- starts texting her with increasingly ominous threats. Then there’s Millie— – Jake’s ex- and her mother-in-law Lorraine’s goddaughter—who thinks she should be the bride, and wants to control every element of the wedding. The hen do, the British term for a bachelorette party, is truly cringe-worthy, complete with blow-up dolls and a stripper/bartender. Flipping back and forth between Bea and Joy’s time at university and present day, this slow burn mystery combines elements of obsession, ancient curses, psychosis and otherness.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

The Watch

by Jeff Ayers

For the past ten years, Kaya has lived with her adopted brother, Wes, in a compound called Attica, with no memory of her past before arriving at the sanctuary. They live with a bunch of other survivors who escaped the plague, and leaving is mostly forbidden for fear of becoming infected, though Wes is allowed to leave with a couple of others from time to time on scavenging missions to gather supplies. After a recent run, Wes returns and starts acting strangely, then one of the others on that trip develops the disease and is dispatched before they can infect anyone else. The leaders of their community continue to maintain order by strict rules that seem odd to Kaya, but they have kept the folks in Attica alive for decades. When Kaya is chosen to be bonded with someone she hardly knows, she starts to have questions, and when she begins to have visions of a man from her life before Attica, she wonders whether her memories are returning. If she’s smart, she’ll not want to know the truth. Smith reveals a fascinating society behind the walls. That, and Kaya’s journey to find answers, will have readers completely enthralled from the first page to the last. Suspense, horror, and many surprises await.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

Murder at the Hotel Orient

by Brian Kenney

It may claim to be set in contemporary Vienna, but this novel reverberates far more with hotels–and their staff—from years ago. Visitors arrive at the Hotel Orient for many reasons, but the most likely are to enjoy a sexual tryst, appreciate a real good dalliance of yore, or just to hide their secrets. Cameras, along with all technology newer since the lightbulb, are banned. And guests are expected to adopt an alias, whether for three hours or 30 days. At the center of the hotel is American Sterling Lockwood, the cool, queer concierge and “keeper of the secrets.” She is ready to make every visit memorable no matter what it takes, as is Fernando, her best friend and bellhop. But, shockingly, the unmanageable happens: a double murder is discovered one morning, a first in the Orient’s history. Without technology and with a ledger full of falsehoods there is no way to decipher who the victim was or where they were going. What can be determined is that Fernando and Sterling must become  detectives, if only to save their own skins.—Brian Kenney  

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Review

It Happened One Murder

by Dodie Ownes

Harriet is a mess. She has just been fired from her job at HUMANS magazine (think People, with more scandal) and is forced to skulk back to her suburban home from NYC. Not that it’s so bad there—her mother’s most recent marriage to George George (yes, that is his name) has elevated her living conditions to a beautiful beach home, and her hometown friends Steven and Maggie are there to console and support her. When her mother decides to throw a lavish party for Harriet’s 26th birthday, all seems to be going well until there’s an outburst in the kitchen—Mr. George confronts Sara, the head chef for All Bright Catering, about an off-tasting canape, and all hell breaks loose. Then Har lays eyes on Nic, Sara’s brother, and swoons. This is when all the fun starts! Nic has changed a lot since he and Harriet had a two-week shagging affair after high school, and she left him just as abruptly, but doesn’t seem to remember him. Then Mr. George is found dead on the beach, with Sara kneeling over him, and her chef’s knife in the sand. What follows is a crazy race to clear Sara’s name by turning over every skeleton in town, run-ins with local police, breaking and entering, a trip to a shady excavating company, and yes, increasingly hot moments between Nic and Harriet. Lawson’s adult debut will have you laughing and guessing until the very end.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

A Murder Most Camp: A Mystery

by Danise Hoover

In an unlikely combination of coming of age, family saga, gay romance, and cold-case mystery, we have Mikey (what almost 30-year-old is still called Mikey?), who’s compelled by his father to serve three months at a rustic summer camp as counselor to save his access to his outrageously huge trust fund. He needs to supervise Annabelle, his 12-year-old aunt (family drama), as part of his penance for his wastrel lifestyle. His special group of campers latches onto the story of Rose, a camper who went missing back when Annabelle’s mom was a counselor. The cabin at the center of the mystery is still there, but it’s long unoccupied and decrepit. The intrepid kids and Mikey, a born rule-breaker, work to find answers. Jackson, Mikey’s hunky cabinmate and camp lifeguard, aims to be the voice of reason between steamy sex sessions with Mikey. Do they find the answers? Does Mikey survive the grime and spiders of camp life? Does he actually grow up? Does anyone figure out why they are there in the first place? Confusing and somewhat silly, but ultimately fun.—Danise Hoover

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