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Review

Better Than Revenge

by Dodie Ownes

Book of. the Week May 14, 2026

Were you a theater kid in high school? I wasn’t—but I sure enjoyed watching the drama play out between the teenage divas and their choruses. I got the same vicarious joy from this book, watching Nadine Heywood and Harper Moore, frenemies since their early days at the elite Central Arts and Drama School in London, duke it out to be “the” number one A-list actress. While Nadine is considered an accomplished and serious thespian, Harper is more the It Girl, getting roles in “popular” films that don’t garner her as many awards as Nadine, but do capture the attention of fans and the press. But even when Nadine has won all the recognition and lauds needed to seal her reputation, thoughts of Harper still haunt her. Their mutual obsession comes to a head when Nadine discovers Harper at her door with a confession, and blood on her hands—literally. These two actresses know how to perform, and together, they will control the narrative. Snippets from an upcoming crime documentary provide additional clues to the reader and add layers to this passionate tale of two celebrities who have the ability to take each other down, but can’t follow through. Bitchy, catty, and hellacious fun—with murderous intent.—Dodie Ownes

 

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Review

Murder at University Park

by Chris Kahn

Academic life is notoriously difficult, and striving for tenure often proves arduous if not impossible, but in this case, it might be deadly. Lacey is in a particularly impossible position; she’s a woman in the sciences—nutrition—with a department chair who dislikes her, a troublesome student who is the son of a major donor, and a data set from the chair that doesn’t add up. She needs tenure because her husband’s job and children’s lives are to the town. Her best friend, a computer specialist who is helping unravel the data problem, is found dead, the abusive department chair also dies, and the interim chair is an unknown. But enemies and danger don’t end there—even the family dog is in jeopardy. Twists and turns and false friends abound, but a rare true friend emerges. This is set in the late 1990s, so the time frame is a bit strange, not current, not historic, but overall, Dellasega offers an interesting and engaging puzzle.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Pressure Point

by Henrietta Thornton

Author duo Jeff Ayers and Jon Lindstrom, writing as Landau, bring back Investigative Services Branch Special Agent Michael Walker for his third investigation in the national parks system. Walker is pulled from scene to scene as the book opens. He’s called to Hawai‘i’s Volcanoes National Park when a fugitive from previous books shows up there, only to be pulled out when a body is found in another park. It’s not one of the two options he suspects—a current day murder or the body of an ancient Indigenous resident of the area—but something very unexpected: the suspected remains of John Muir, the father of the national parks. After the reader finds themselves gripping the outside of a flying helicopter with Walker, it’s clear that none of these cases will be a smooth ride, and that’s putting it mildly. This tale takes a breakneck ride through Yosemite and other beloved locales while Walker and his also-lovable agency sidekicks trounce the bad guys, which vary from environmental disaster to capitalism run amok, and did I mention volcanoes? Educational details about the parks are imparted throughout the text and in each short chapter’s header, informing readers, for example, that Yosemite bid to host the 1932 Olympics. Muir’s legacy, and that of his steely-sounding wife, Louie Strentzel Muir, is the spine of this story, which gives readers an insight into the man for whom “Yosemite was not just a landscape—it was a sacred text.” Chase down Agent Walker on his adventures, you’ll be happy you did.

Pressure Point co-author Jeff Ayers is a Contributing Editor to firstCLUE.

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Review

Shrink Solves Murder

by Danise Hoover

Book of the Week May 7, 2026

Patricia Phillips, formerly a Lawyer and now a psychotherapist, revels in her status as village curmudgeon. She lives on the Sussex Downs, swims in the cold English Channel daily, and lays down the law to tourists who venture too close to the edge of the cliff and people with their dogs off-leash. One of her patients is found washed up at the bottom of the cliff and is swiftly declared a suicide by the local incurious police department. Pat loudly and vehemently disagrees but has no success in getting the case reopened. She, of course, sets out to solve it, with the assistance of her friend Prichard. While she feels that her training will give her insights and make her readily able point out the killer, there are holes in her assumptions. She must face the changing local population (swingers and boho golf club planners) in addition to her own errors in thinking and lack of internet know-how. Pat is an extraordinary character, equally cranky and loveable, and the ending of her tale leaves open the chance for another installment. Readers can only hope.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Nasty Little Secrets

by Dodie Ownes

Rose Dearling’s brother, Will, sits in jail, convicted of murdering Alexandria Hopely, his first love. With adjoining backyards, the Dearling and the Hopely families were particularly close, but that all changed when Rose refused to accept that Will was the killer. Years later, Rose is the best-selling author of The Smileys Next Door, a thinly fictionalized account of what she thinks really happened to Alex, naming Mr. Hopely as his daughter’s murderer. When her sister, Hazel, disappears, Rose is summoned by family to leave New York City and return to her hometown, Loxahatchee FL, where unsurprisingly, former friends regard her with suspicion and disdain. As family secrets begin to surface, Rose becomes even more convinced that Will is innocent and that the real killer is still on the loose. Local cop Nick Pullman gets put on the case, bringing another backstory into the narrative as the search for Hazel grows more desperate. A skanky teacher and a lecherous neighbor round out the cast, and Hanks has readers’ heads snapping as this story tumults to its thrilling and surprising conclusion.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

You’ll Be Sorry

by Jeff Ayers

Amanda Grady returns to the small town of Shereford, the place she fled as a teenager, and takes on the role of police chief following her father’s death. At the same time, Raquel and Theo Collins arrive as newlyweds after a whirlwind romance, both aware that secrets from their past could threaten their future. Hoping for a clean start, they purchase a home long believed to be cursed, a house connected to the mysterious disappearance of the Dixon family 30 years earlier. The entire family vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a dog. When Raquel and Theo discover a stray dog on their property that may be the same one from that decades-old case, the town begins to take notice. Some believe that the couple may hold the key to finally uncovering what happened all those years ago. As pressure mounts, Amanda is pulled into an investigation her father was never able to solve. What she uncovers is both unsettling and deeply personal, revealing truths about the Dixon family’s fate while also raising troubling questions about the Collinses. Gardner skillfully builds suspense, revealing clues piece by piece until the shocking truth comes to light. Blending elements of horror, mystery, and psychological tension, this novel is gripping and memorable.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

Please Enjoy Your Stay

by Willy Williams

For 12 years, Mia has obsessed over the murder of her 17-year-old cousin, Tristan, at a notorious castle-turned-hotel in the Austrian Alps. Even though her eyewitness testimony convicted the hotel’s owner, Augustin Aiglar, the media implied that her aunt Iris, a best-selling true-crime author investigating a decades-old killing of an heiress at the castle, might have been involved. When Aiglar demands a retrial, a true-crime podcast reopens the case to prove his innocence. To protect her now reclusive aunt from more damaging lies, Mia goes undercover as a nanny for six-year-old Evie, the daughter of the castle’s new owner. But as she delves into the past, Mia uncovers secrets that mean she might have accused the wrong man. YA mystery author Goedjen (No Beauties or Monsters, The Breathless) makes her adult debut with an atmospheric, moody thriller laced with a touch of the Gothic and the supernatural. If some of the red herrings dropped throughout the text go nowhere, and if Mia is sometimes an irritating protagonist who recklessly exposes her young charge to danger as she seeks clues, Goedjen compensates with genuinely spooky scenes of suspense. A fast-paced read for fans of psychological thrillers.—Willy Williams

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Review

Fighting Edge

by Jeff Ayers

Deputy Mattie Walker and her K-9 partner, Robo, start the day with a grim discovery: a young mother murdered, her two-year-old daughter found alive in another room. The question lingers as to whether the child witnessed the attack. Not long after, Mattie pulls over a speeder, and Robo alerts to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. After the driver is arrested, a boy left behind refuses to speak, raising Mattie’s suspicions that he may be entangled in something far more dangerous, possibly even human trafficking. Meanwhile, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole, stumbles upon a questionable dog kennel that may connect to her cases, deepening the mystery. As the investigation unfolds, the couple, still healing from past trauma, find their personal lives increasingly strained by the dangers surrounding them. Mizushima delivers another strong installment, skillfully balancing suspense with heartfelt character development. The small-town cast continues to deepen, with each character given moments to stand out. The unusual perspective of police work alongside a K-9 partner adds an extra layer of authenticity and intrigue. This series only gets better with each book, making it a must-read for fans of crime fiction and police procedurals. New readers can jump in easily but will likely want to track down the earlier entries once they finish.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

The Grapevine

by Dodie Ownes

Right from the first page, readers will be compelled to follow bull-headed and strangely loveable Lou Gommersall on a one woman (plus 1) quest to solve the mystery of her 19-year-old daughter’s disappearance a year ago. With aspiring journalist and tech nerd Ethan Ito by her side, Lou begins to unravel clues and “coincidences” that the police have yet to put together. Setting off on a desperate, impulsive road trip in her faithful RV Lady Luck, Lou plans to find Abby. She’s also determined to find the person responsible not only for Abby’s vanishing but for the fate of many other young women who disappeared on California’s scenic and often challenging I-5—specifically along the steep, mountainous “Grapevine” section near Los Angeles. Using every connection she can, from local law enforcement to trailer-park mavens, Lou moves in on the “creepo” identified by near-victims with the utmost conviction. But could she be wrong? Lou is the little dog with sharp teeth who will not let go, while her husband, Brian, just wants her to put this all behind her. The cat and mouse game is full on, and Lou finds unexpected allies as the path to the perp becomes clear. I can’t wait to see what Sokoloff and Robertson have in store for Lou and friends in this fantastic new series that’s packed with psychological thrills and propulsive momentum.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Time to Burn

by Jeff Ayers

Book of the Week April 30, 2026

What if the ultra-wealthy could vacation in the past? In this imaginative premise, time travel is real and commercialized, with Tempus Tours, helmed by the enigmatic Inigo Frank, catering to elite thrill-seekers who are willing to pay a premium for front-row seats to history. Frank invites documentary filmmaker Phoebe Hunt to shadow him for a week, capturing both the behind-the-scenes operation and a group of tourists embarking on a harrowing excursion to London during the 1941 Blitz. The trip goes catastrophically wrong. Most of the party returns badly injured and in need of emergency care, but one traveler, Sasha, doesn’t come back at all. Phoebe’s documentary takes a sharp turn as she finds herself embedded in a desperate rescue mission, filming Frank and his team as they race to pull Sasha from the past. But the deeper Phoebe digs, the stranger things become. Details feel off—one party member was married to someone else entirely, Phoebe’s certain, and she has the unsettling sense that the missing woman is someone from Phoebe’s own past, tied to a mistake she’d rather forget. Lloyd’s gripping, thought-provoking narrative goes far beyond a clever sci-fi concept, using time travel as a lens to examine identity, consequence, and the hidden forces that shape who we become.—Jeff Ayers

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