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Police Procedural

Review

Bitter Fruit

by Henrietta Thornton

Book of the Week September 3, 2026

The light and darkness that are modern and past Ireland are embodied in Detective Inspector Lewan Kane, who in this kick-in-the-gut debut investigates the death of a man who’s been decapitated and left in an Irish field. As in the best crime fiction, that’s just the surface layer of a tale that takes readers on a journey through geography, the past, and terrible misdeeds and puzzles. Lewan is at first (barely) politely rejecting of help from a young woman whose dreams make her beg him to investigate a seemingly unrelated missing-person case. As the images and names she comes up with start to be relevant to the case, he can no longer ignore her. The symbolism of names plays a major role here, perhaps unsurprisingly given the author’s own meaning-laden name, and add to the idea that every word of this story is to be closely turned in the readers’ hand. Move over, Tana French.—Henrietta Thornton

 

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Review

Price of Silence

by Jeff Ayers

A reporter becomes part of the story in Kipness’s latest, and the result is a gripping ride. Even though Sydney Price has relatives who run Glenmont Media, she has chosen to earn her place as a reporter on her own terms and works at a smaller New York TV network. Her desk is next to a colleague she’d rather avoid, a man who isn’t very nice and has a habit of swiping her snacks. Then everything accelerates. A bomb threat in the building next door, the home of Glenmont, turns out to be very real, and Sydney’s brother is suspect number one. Her irritating deskmate is suddenly rushed to the hospital with food poisoning, fighting for his life. When sabotage strikes the plaza, Sydney throws herself into finding answers, even as she realizes her position as a reporter both helps and hinders what she can uncover. While a menacing storm bears down on the city, one thing becomes painfully clear: whatever she digs up could make her the next target. Kipness writes about the world of television news with real expertise and flair, crafting compelling characters and a baffling, twisty mystery. Layer in a sharp exposé of New York high society, and you get a story readers will be eager to talk about. Fortunately, the price of silence isn’t too steep here, because word of mouth is exactly what this terrific book deserves.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

Murder Returns to Gravigna

by Dodie Ownes

Nico Doyle, an American ex-homicide detective, is once again coerced into working with Gravigna’s local police in the final installment of Trinchieri’s “A Tuscan Mystery” series. Maresciallo Perillo, the town’s highest ranking police officer, is weary of his work and gladly accepts Nico’s assistance in determining who murdered Gravigna’s butcher, Sergio Macchi. Amid the beautiful scenery of the Chianti region, bad feelings and secrets lurk and soon the townspeople are suspicious of everyone. As readers meet the shopkeepers and restaurateurs and spend time with OneWag, Nico’s adorable dog, a picture begins to form of a town and its people in transition. There’s even a developer interested in building a high-end hotel complex, much to the chagrin of the locals. After the owner of the enoteca dies by apparent suicide, the search for the murderer picks up speed—what good is a Tuscan town without meat and wine?! Trinchieri brings this deliciously plotted (yes, there is much good eating and a recipe included) mystery imbued with the everyday loves and lives of the locals to a satisfying conclusion. Fans of contemporary mysteries who are craving a trip to the Tuscan countryside without the airfare will find much to relish in this series conclusion.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Hidden Currents

by Henrietta Thornton

Sheriff’s deputy Sam Karnes just wants to get married to the love of his life, Brenna. His first attempt at writing vows, “Respondent states he loves her and would be willing to proceed with a lifelong commitment,” is perhaps not quite right. Worse again is his meddling mother-in-law. He’s gotten great advice from his boss, the star of this absorbing police procedural, Sheriff Hank Worth, who says to just stay out of most of the wedding arrangements. But Hank can’t stay out of messy politics himself, as in this sixth outing in the series, he’s leading the investigation into a shocking murder in his small Ozarks town of Branson, Missouri. The owner of a local fishing store has been found dead. He was relatively new to town, having bought the store from its long-time owner and moved here with his wife, who he was in the process of divorcing, and her troubled son. In the background of that investigation, Hank’s second-in-command, Sheila, is under the microscope as she testifies against attackers in a case that has politics written all over it. Booth has again brought the Ozarks and police life to the page in a way that will keep readers rapt and leave them waiting for more from these steadfast characters. New readers will find Hank especially endearing and will want to go back to the previous books for more.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Five Things I See

by Henrietta Thornton

You know when you’re reading something and hope there will be more of this and then realize IT’S A SERIES! That was my thrilled experience when I left Grace Hartwell’s Jacksonville-cop world and came up for air. What a gripping and satisfying read. Grace is a homicide detective who keeps to herself, relying on her smarts and independence to be the best there is. Here she’s faced with two cases, one of which may not even be a murder—a building inspector has been found dead at the bottom of an under-construction building. There’s an empty bottle of whiskey by his side, so maybe this will be an open-and-shut accident. But nothing can be simple for Grace. Then there’s the much bigger deal of a couple who are found tortured and dead in their home. The husband turns out to have been quite the ladies man, so maybe a jilted lover did it? But when more victims are found, there may be a serial killer—oops, a pattern killer, as she’s been instructed to call them (less media frenzy). A real job is portrayed here with more than one responsibility and workplace politics to boot, and working both cases takes Grace and readers on a breakneck and emotional ride through terrifying danger and the excitement of a tough puzzle and chase. Get this on your TBR now.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Only the River Knows

by Danise Hoover

Though iving in a small town in pretty much nowhere, MN, sheriff Red Hammergren is faced with murders that would tax the workings of big-city law enforcement. In addition, she has yet to file for her reelection, and is faced with tauntings from the toxically masculine locals, one of whom is actively seeking her job. An amateur-theater production of The Music Man is at the center of the story. The town’s leading citizen has paid a professional to play the lead, with locals filling in the rest. When the director/English teacher is found murdered, it has echoes of the killing of her older sister years before. Is there a serial killer? A cultish group hearkens back to an old, unsolved crime from Seattle and brings a measles outbreak that taxes all. There are further deaths, sexual impropriety connected to the high-school principal, and more trouble than should fit in such a small place. With strong, interesting women characters carrying the day, this is an exciting read with suspects galore and a thrilling, convoluted ending. A fine addition to a strong series.—Danise Hoover

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Review

Split Screen

by Jeff Ayers

Eve Ronin’s week goes from bad to worse in Goldberg’s latest. A new sheriff has blackmail material on the LA detective, forcing her to embrace the social-media spotlight that comes with being the only cop with her own fictional TV show. The actress behind that show, Erin Casey, has ridden the role of Ronin to a career revival, and she’s arranged to shadow her real-life counterpart for a dose of authenticity. The moment Casey climbs into the car, everything unravels: a famous actress turns up dead from an apparent overdose, a previously unknown half-sister surfaces with mob connections and a body in tow, and Ronin finds herself quietly working to save her partner’s job while dodging threats from criminals and colleagues alike. Goldberg has a gift for blending humor with gritty violence and suspense, and his characters feel real enough that readers can’t help rooting for them. Genre fans will also appreciate the nods to Goldberg’s other projects and winks to fellow authors scattered throughout. The ending leaves Ronin’s world thoroughly upended, and the wait for the next installment will not be an easy one.—Jeff Ayers

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Review

One Split Second

by Jeff Ayers

After losing her reelection bid, Sheriff Jenny Almond makes a solo trip to meet Anthony Alvarez, who has called her with a cryptic message. What she finds upon arrival changes everything—a gunshot rings out, a shadowy figure emerges from the darkness, and in a split-second decision, she pulls the trigger. Alvarez is dead, and Almond is facing the unthinkable: a first-degree murder charge for allegedly shooting an unarmed man. Desperate for answers, Almond turns to her trusted friend, Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite. With Tracy’s attorney-husband Dan stepping in as her legal defense, Tracy launches her own parallel investigation into what really happened that night. The trail leads somewhere unexpected—back more than four decades to a chilling cold case in which Alvarez was the prime suspect in a teenage girl’s disappearance, a wound that never fully healed for the surrounding community. Dugoni masterfully illustrates how a single moment can irrevocably alter the course of lives, weaving together past and present with the kind of propulsive, assured storytelling that has made his Tracy Crosswhite series a standout in modern crime fiction. Whether the action is unfolding in a courtroom or out in the field, Dugoni keeps the tension taut and the pages turning. Long-time fans will find this latest installment deeply satisfying, and those coming to the series fresh will quickly understand why Dugoni has earned his place among the genre’s elite.— Jeff Ayers

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Review

The Secrets We Hide

by Jeff Ayers

Slaughter returns with another gripping thriller following this series’s debut We Are All Guilty Here, and secrets once again prove fatal. Private investigator Allison Vickery, a former cop, is on the verge of vanishing with cash in hand and fake IDs ready for herself and her teenage daughter, Mandy, when gunshots shatter the quiet of their neighborhood. Sheriff Emmy Clifton arrives to find Allison dead. Clifton’s sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, sweeps the upstairs only to be shot herself and discover Mandy barely conscious with a head wound. All signs point to Allison’s allegedly abusive ex, but as Clifton digs deeper, a more complicated picture emerges. Mandy was secretly involved with an older man, a relationship she kept hidden even from her closest friends. In a town where nearly everyone is guarding something and buried secrets are practically a local tradition, Clifton must untangle a web of lies to find the truth about what happened to mother and daughter. Slaughter is masterful at keeping readers glued to the page, blending psychologically rich characters with dark, timely subject matter and a plot loaded with misdirection. Fans will be eager to follow Emmy Clifton and Jude Archer into whatever danger awaits them next.—Jeff Ayers

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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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