The Overbooked Bibliophile

  Rating:  4.5⭐️ “Indigenous women disappeared, they disappeared twice. Once in life and once in the news.” After a devastating personal loss, former Chicago detective Carrie Starr returns to the Saliquaw Nation reservation in Oklahoma, where her father was raised. As the newly appointed tribal marshal she has been tasked with revisiting cold cases of the disappearance of Indigenous women over the last decade - cases that have been largely ignored, almost forgotten over time due absence of local law enforcement presence on the reservation. With minimal resources at her disposal, Carrie has to juggle keeping peace among the community over proposed infrastructural changes to the area that have several entities involved who would go to any length to protect their own interests, look into the cold cases and investigate the recent disappearance of Chenoa Cloud, a local young woman reported missing by her mother. The narrative follows Carrie as she digs deep into the lives of the cl...

Rating:  4.5⭐️ A chance meeting between twenty-two-year-old Winona and a young woman named in a grief counseling group eventually leads to her renting a room at the infamous “Mirror House” – a rental property decorated on the outside by its residents with mirrors - where she hopes to find friends and a sense of family. Simon Spellmeyer, an eccentric former psychologist who leads the group, employs his own unconventional methods for self-improvement that the Mirror House boarders must be willing to accept. Winona, despite her misgivings, convinces herself that giving in to Simon’s methods is the best option for her. We follow Winona as she navigates the shifting dynamics within the group and Simon’s leadership and his eccentricity. As she begins to buckle under the personal and psychological pressure of being a “Mirror House girl,” will she be able to extricate herself from the hold that Simon and her new “family” have on her and if so, at what cost? Smartly crafted with an interest...

  Rating: 3.5⭐  (Audio Narration: 4.5⭐) “Sometimes I think we are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives.” One year after the mysterious disappearance of his wife Abby, author Grady Green is facing financial troubles and struggling with his writing career. Despite his last book being a NYT best seller. Consumed by grief for his missing wife, he is unable to write and his publishers aren’t happy. His agent, who was also his wife’s godmother, throws him a lifeline, offering him the use of a cabin on a Scottish island, previously owned by a successful writer, which she inherited upon his demise. But the remote island of Emberly, population of twenty-five, holds many secrets. From seeing a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to his missing wife, to the eerie occurrences at his cabin and the strange behavior of the locals – Grady soon realizes that not all might not be at it appears on this isolated island and he is trapped. Is there any truth to what he is experiencing o...

  Rating: 4.5⭐ Two women from different walks of life – Stephanie Monroe and Jasmine Littleton – cross paths on a flight to Denver- Jasmine hoping for a fresh start and on the run from an abusive partner and Stephanie on her way to attend a conference in San Diego. Seated in the same row, they share casual conversation during the flight. A few days later, each of them is untraceable, and strangely enough, the last few messages Jasmine and Stephanie each sent to their close friends mention being charmed by a man by the name of Trent McCarthy. Coincidence? What happened to these women and how is Trent McCarthy connected to these disappearances? What follows is a complex web of deceit, manipulation and much more. An entertaining psychological thriller  The Business Trip  by  Jessie Garcia  had me frantically turning pages until I got to the very end. The short chapters and consistent pacing with twists, turns, and revelations that shock and awe rendered this an unp...

Rating:  3.75⭐️ “Most people approach cold cases with the mindset that there is one simple answer, just waiting to be uncovered. But life isn’t so simple. We all carry our own individual truths, our own stories, our own reasonings for our actions. No one wants to be the bad guy, and so we distort facts to suit our images of ourselves, and we do this so often that eventually, the lie becomes the truth.” Forty years ago, university professor Einar Pálsson and his nine-year-old son Magnus left their hometown of Bifröst, Iceland for the United States after the gruesome murder of his twenty-six-year-old wife local schoolteacher, Marie and their six-month-old daughter, Agnes. Though he was never formally charged with the murders, friends and neighbors were convinced of his guilt. Forty years after the murders Agnes Glin, Einar’s twenty-seven-year-old granddaughter arrives in Iceland hoping to clear her late grandfather’s name. As the fortieth anniversary of the murders approaches True Cr...

Rating:  4.5⭐️ To Die For , the third installment in  David Baldacci ’s The 6.20 Man   series follows former U.S. Army Ranger Travis Devine, who is now employed by the Office of Special Projects (a stealth operation under the DHS), on his new mission, which takes him to the US West Coast. Danny Glass, a decorated former military man presently under investigation for RICO charges, is applying for guardianship of his recently; orphaned twelve-year-old niece Betsy Odom, and Travis is tasked with Betsy’s safety in collaboration with the FBI and supervising her visits with her uncle. Travis soon realizes that there is more to Betsy’s parents’ death than meets the eye and Danny’s enemies might be targeting her next. What follows is a complex web of murder, cover-ups, corruption, government secrets and much more! Complicating matters further is “The Girl on the Train,” who, after two failed attempts, is only more determined to complete her mission to kill Travis. Complex pl...

  Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ A new installment in author  Steve Cavanagh ’s  Eddie Flynn  series is always among my most anticipated reads, so much so that I don’t mind ordering a copy from the UK so as not to wait for the book to become available in the US ( Thank you, Blackwell’s for the getting the book to me a day before UK publication day!). I’ve enjoyed (to varying degrees) all the previous books (including one short story and one novella) in this series and I’m glad to say that the latest installment  Witness 8  is a worthy addition to the lot! Ruby Johnson, a young woman in her twenties, works as a maid and nanny in several houses in an affluent New York neighborhood. Once a resident of the same neighborhood, she is haunted by the events that caused her family’s downfall. She is cunning and perceptive and one night, after witnessing the murder of the wealthy socialite, she decides to use this information and manipulate the truth to further her own agenda. The narr...

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dan Curran, a rookie journalist at the Castlebridge Gazette, is glad to have been assigned his first investigative piece on Castlebridge Council’s last-minute decision to back out of the sale of a council-owned piece of land known as Abbot’s Meadow to local land developer – a sale that would have been beneficial to the council and the community. As Dan tries to find out the reason behind the committee's decision to not go forward with the sale, he meets with some unexpected obstacles – reports on council meetings that should have been available to the public but access to which has been restricted, a local landscaping company whose interest in the land isn’t above suspicion and certain important people aren’t too happy that Dan is looking into the issue. Aiding Den is his boss, experienced journalist Jack Marston, who sees potential in Dan and Jenny Swan, an accountant who works for the Council and who shares Dan’s suspicions about the committee’s decision. Dan and Jenn...

  Rating: 3.5⭐ Stella Hudson, a best interest attorney by profession, is appointed as counsel for Rose Barclay, a nine-year-old girl whose parents are in the middle of a bitter divorce. Stella’s role is to determine the best custody arrangement for Rose, which entails interacting with Barclays and studying the dynamics within the family based on which a decision might be taken. Rose suffers from traumatic mutism – a condition that developed after she witnessed her twenty-six-year-old nanny, Tina de la Cruz, plunging to death from her window on the upper floor of the Barclays’ house. The circumstances surrounding Tina’s death remain a mystery and given Rose’s condition, her family – parents Ian and Beth and her grandmother, Harriet, are protective of Rose, to the extent that they would prefer to restrict Rose’s interaction with Stella. Stella, who had a traumatic childhood herself, has Rose’s best interests at heart and tries to earn Rose’s trust, but Rose’s strange behavior on more...

  Rating: 4.5⭐ Bestselling detective novelist  Emilia Ward,  lives a quiet life with her second husband and two children in a London suburb. Emilia is almost finished with her latest and possibly the final installment in her popular Miranda Moody series. Writing a best-selling series has been taxing and this last book has proved to be especially challenging. But truth becomes stranger than fiction for Emilia when an incident mirroring a scene from one of her books occurs in real life. This is not an isolated incident and it seems that someone is trying to send her a message using her own fiction against her. After a shocking incident that is eerily similar to a plot point from her unpublished manuscript, Emilia begins to suspect that the threat is closer to home since the draft was shared with a select few in her close circle and she begins to fear for her family’s safety. Does someone know Emilia’s secret – a truth that has been hidden from most in her close circle? Is s...

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ Edwina “Edie” Nunn is surprised to discover that she has inherited an old castle on a remote Scottish island as the only living descendent of the Maundrell family. Now in her late forties, Edwina, recently widowed, has never known her biological family, having been left at an orphanage as a baby. Her teenage daughter, Neve, is excited at the prospect of inheriting a castle and Edwina is eager to know more about her real family. Neither of them could have been prepared for the ghostly inhabitants (not all of whom are particularly friendly), the deep-buried secrets of the island and the tragic history of the Maundrell family, most of which occurred on Samhain. Nor were they prepared for the mystery behind the Maundrell Red – a diamond that went missing decades ago and, as legend has it, is responsible for the tragedy that befell the family. With Samhain quickly approaching, and the eerie occurrences intensifying, Edie and Neve soon discover that evil lurks in various manifest...

  Rating:  2.5⭐️ “The first lie has to be the strongest. The most important. The one that has to be told” I found the premise of  First Lie Wins  by  Ashley Elston  to be truly intriguing. Evie Porter, a con artist who works for the mysterious “Mr. Smith” finds herself trapped in a complex web of manipulation as she works on her current mark, Ryan Sumner. Posing as Ryan’s girlfriend while passing on information about Ryan’s business to her boss should have been easy for her, given she has almost perfected her game over the years in Mr. Smith’s employ. However, her growing feelings for Ryan, her feelings of guilt for her deception and her desire for a different life than she has chosen (or the life that has chosen her?) and the added pressure that she is being closely monitored and failing her current task would result in dire consequences, complicate matters further and the situation begins to spiral out of Evie’s control. The beginning of the book drew me ...

Rating:⭐⭐⭐ In 2017, flood damage in a small Quebec town lead to the discovery of a child’s body that appears to be decades old. Locals suspect that the remains are that of Michelle Fortier, the nine-year-old daughter of an affluent family who disappeared in 1979. Stephanie O’Malley returns to her hometown of Marly, Quebec, after her career hits a downward spiral as a result of her failed podcast, which was based on Michelle’s case. Fifteen years ago, she had left Marly with hopes for a better future, leaving her mother Laura and high-school sweetheart Luc behind. Her relationship with her mother is strained and Luc has moved on. Stephanie keenly follows the renewed interest and investigation into the cold case in hopes of reviving her podcast. As the narrative progresses, Stephanie finds herself drawn into a complex web of lies, secrets and cover-ups. I found the premise of  The Last Thing She Saw  by  Nina Laurin  intriguing and appreciated the suspenseful vibe, the...

  Rating: 3.5⭐ June 2025 – Francesca Meadows is thrilled that her dream project “The Manor “-an exclusive wellness resort- is finally open. The Solstice celebration and the midnight revelries are in full swing, her affluent guests are in attendance being catered to by her carefully selected staff, a few of whom are local including Eddie whose family owns and operates a farm close by. Among the guests is Bella, who has a history with Francesca (who is initially unaware of Bella's presence) and whose decision to book a stay was based on an article sent by an unknown sender, who definitely knows their history. The resort was built on the Dorset coastline the premises Francesca inherited from her grandparents, and her husband, architect Owen Dacre was tasked with designing the luxurious resort. The resort is adjacent to a forest that holds special significance to the locals, who aren't too happy with the development and the fact that the owners have no respect for the ‘lore and bel...

  Rating: 3.5⭐ “This weekend there will be surprises, even for those who don’t believe. You can’t control the people around you. These readings will conjure unexpected emotions, unforeseen actions, and even more shocking reactions. This is a normal result of that which is buried rising to the surface. Some of you will feel blindsided, while others will feel vindicated. This is your fate.” Eight wealthy Manhattanites, each dealing with their problems and harboring secrets, hope to unwind, disconnect, reconnect and find some peace of mind with the help of Rini, resident astrologist and owner of Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat in Long Island, over a weekend. The four couples are known to one another, but little did they expect that the idyllic weekend would not only expose the dysfunctional relationships and secrets between spouses, siblings and trusted friends but also lead to revelations that could potentially fracture these relationships beyond repair. Was the weekend deliberatel...

  Rating:3.75⭐ Forty-seven-year-old Evander “Vandy” Myrick returns to her hometown of Queenstown, New Jersey, after her career in law enforcement ends after a personal tragedy. Now a private investigator, she has a lot on her plate - concerned for the well-being of her ailing father, a retired police officer suffering from dementia and now in a care facility, dealing with her own trauma and trying to do the best for her clients. Her latest client is Leo Hannah, the Mayor’s nephew, who engages her services to track his wife’s movements. What appears to be a routine surveillance assignment soon evolves into a racially charged murder case. Vandy is convinced that there is more to this case than meets the eye. Complicating matters further is the influential Hannah family’s connection to the case - powerful people with secrets they would do anything to protect. Vandy is determined to get to the truth, even if that means ruffling more than a few feathers and risking her own life in the p...

  Rating:4.5⭐ A worthy addition to the author’s Porter Beck series,  Shades of Mercy  by  Bruce Borgos  is a thrilling novel! Drug smugglers responsible for the supply of lethal fentanyl-laced drugs; a computer hacker who takes control of a military drone to wreak havoc on an affluent (and shady) rancher’s operations; a mysterious operative searching for Mercy Vaughn, a brilliant teenager with a criminal background who is being held in a juvenile detention facility, government agents with their own agendas and much more - Lincoln Country, Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck and his twelve member department have a lot on their plate. Though Porter is struggling with eyesight, he is determined not to let his limited night vision deter him from fulfilling his duties. He is joined in his efforts to protect Mercy by Detective Charlie Blue Horse from the Department of Public Safety. The narrative follows Porter, his team and Charlie as they try to unravel a complex web of crim...

  Rating:4.5⭐ When a retired FBI Agent is found tortured to death in his home in Lincoln County Nevada, Sheriff Porter Beck finds himself roped in on an FBI investigation headed by Agent Sana Locke, into an information leak that may have triggered the current chain reaction of events. Beck is ex-Army, having served as a foreign area officer for a large part of his career, so he is well aware of the danger that is looming when evidence indicates a connection between the present-day murders and a 1950s covert operation linked to a nuclear testing site in the region. When the bodies begin to pile up, Porter and his department team up with Locke to find the killer. Complicating matters further is the disappearance of a teenage bride from a neighboring community. Are the cases connected? The Bitter Past  by  Bruce Borgos  is a riveting thriller that combines elements of murder mystery, crime procedural, and international espionage thriller. The novel is well-structured an...

  Rating: 4.5⭐ Lover: The Cruel Dark Companion Novella  by  Bea Northwick  presents the events described in the author’s novel  The Cruel Dark  from the perspective of Callum Hughes. I truly enjoyed this novella and was glad that it answered most of the questions that I felt were left unanswered in the novel. Consistently paced fluid narrative, elegant prose and well-developed plot points made for an immersive read. The author has done a wonderful job of conveying Callum’s thoughts and emotions, shedding light on what was going on parallel to Millicent’s experiences, thereby providing a well-rounded perspective on Millicent’s story. Please read this novella only after having read the novel.

Rating:⭐️⭐️ ⭐ Meredith McCall, a New York City psychiatrist, is drawn into a complex web of deception, secrets, lies and obsession after she encounters a man who has a tragic connection to a traumatic event that upended her life. The Unraveling   by  Vi Keeland  i s a well-crafted psychological thriller that has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged until the very end. I can’t say I particularly liked Meredith, but I couldn’t look away as she began to unravel, triggering a shocking chain of events and I was curious to see where she would finally land. I won’t even begin to question her choices or her professional ethics, because despite what she has gone through it is almost impossible to justify her actions, which renders her a complex, if slightly (I’m being kind here) unhinged protagonist. I had expected a somewhat predictable denouement and I was partially correct in my assumptions, but the author did surprise me with one particular twist toward the end. The end...