"Head Cases" by John McMahon

I found myself a new favourite author! John McMahon's writing is as minimalistic as it is compelling. I love the protagonist in "Head Cases" and I'm so glad he's going to feature in another book. Hope this is the beginning of a long and successful series. Move over Jack Reacher and Win Horne Lockwood III, there's a new hero in town.

Blurb:

Gardner Camden is a walking analytical brain with an affinity for riddles, puzzles, and codes. It makes him the perfect fit for the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit of the FBI, a team of five brilliant but misfit agents who are too talented, too extraordinary to fire from the Bureau.

Gardner’s smart, but he’s all business – except for his seven-year-old daughter and occasional visits to his elderly mother, he prioritises his work and justice over everything else, no matter the cost.

A serial killer from one of Gardner’s solved cases, presumed to be long dead, is found murdered, and then soon after, another body with a similar story. The mastermind murderer has left clues and riddles for Gardner and his team – a mathematician, a sniper and weapons expert, a computer analytics specialist, and their leader, a career agent – as they track him across the country. With the threat of PAR dissolving, the team can’t afford to make any mistakes and Gardner must work to solve the riddles before it’s too late.

The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer

"The Impossible Thing" by Belinda Bauer - oh, what a book! Beautifully told, it's one of those gems that slowly tightens its grip on you and then refuses to let go.

From the windswept cliffs of Yorkshire in 1926 to a Welsh village a century later, this novel brings mystery and adventure. The premise (a missing, impossibly rare egg) had me hooked, googling guillemots, images of their eggs, and reasons for their unusual shape; yet it’s the characters who truly make this book. Patrick Fort, with his sharp mind and social limitations, is impossible not to love, and his friendship with Meg and Nick will warm the most cynical heart.

I like books that make you think, and "The Impossible Thing" made me deplore human greed and our lack of empathy for creatures seemingly lesser than us. It also made me reflect on the  way we attach so much value to material objects when, in the end, it’s the people and connections in our lives that truly matter.

Not without a couple of tear-jerking moments, ultimately this is a make-you-feel-good book.

The Housemaid Book Series by Freida McFadden

"The Housemaid" Series by Freida McFadden - how do I describe it? Original in concept (the protagonist is a loveable convicted killer), fast-paced, impossible to put down - and yet I'd call it a light read, in the most positive sense of the word.

You'll fall in love with Millie Calloway (the convicted killer) and you'll fall in love with the author's style of writing. I've read the three housemaid books, and a handful of others by Ms McFadden ("The Surrogate Mother", "The Perfect Son", "The Co-worker", "The Teacher"), and they all deliver a great reading experience.

BTW, I've just discovered "The Housemaid" is available on Netflix. Tonight's entertainment sorted!

"In too deep" - a Reacher novel

"In too deep" by Lee Child (in name) and Andrew Child (actually) is Book 29 in the Jack Reacher series. The premise is awesome, the book good overall, though it's not in my top ten Reachers. 

Newbies, don't start with this one - try "Tripwire", "The Hard Way", "Without Fail", or "61 Hours" instead. Fans, the book will definitely scratch the itch, but then you'll probably want to reread "One Shot", "Personal", or "Past Tense".

Blurb:

Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.

Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.

The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.

His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.

A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .

"No one will know" by Rose Carlyle

"No one will know" by Rose Carlyle is one hell of a ride. I read it in a weekend, enjoying every twist and turn. It ticks all the boxes: a young woman in trouble? Check. An obscenely rich family? Check. An exotic island setting? Check, check, and check.

Blurb:

Eve Sylvester thinks she’s landed the best possible gig—working for a rich couple on a beautiful island. But the job seems too good to be true. Why would the Hygates hire Eve if she has no prior nannying experience? Why must Eve stay out of sight? And what’s with the mysterious yachts coming in and out of the Hygate’s private marina? It's too late to ask questions, though, Eve is already in far too deep to turn back.

"The Night She Fell" by Eileen Merriman

There's much to like about "The Night She Fell", a thriller by by Eileen Merriman: the New Zealand setting, the authentic dialogue, the fact pace, the twists. I read it in a day and am looking forward to discovering more fiction by this talented writer.

Blurb:

‘When I last saw Ashleigh, she was lying in a pool of blood . . . Her eyes were open, staring sightlessly into the sky. I’d like to think she saw the stars before she died; that in her last moments she flew, soaring on serotonin, dreamy with dopamine. I’d like to think she didn’t suffer . . .’

A beautiful young law student dies on the concrete below her third-storey window in chilly Dunedin.

It’s clear enough how she died. What isn’t is why — or who’s involved.

Plenty of people had a reason to hate Ashleigh, with her straight As and perfect looks. She’s fallen out with her flatmates, and her boyfriend Xander is having second thoughts about their future together. And then there are the weird messages.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

"First Lie Wins" by Ashley Elston is a treat for anyone who likes a good mystery and loveable female confidence tricksters (female conmen just didn't sound right). I loved the narrator's voice, the twists and turns the plot took, and the absolutely perfect ending. Also, this is one of Reese's Book Club Picks! 

Can't wait for this author's new novel coming out in 2025!

Blurb:

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn't like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there's still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .