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Heartbreaker, by Mike Campbell and Ari Surdoval***** | Seattle Book Mama
Mike Campbell is a musician and songwriter who served as Tom Petty’s lead guitarist and songwriting partner from the band’s inception until Petty’s death in 2017. I’m a sucker for a strong musical memoir when I can find it; although the galley for this book was available, I chose not to request it, instead using…
Something to Look Forward to, by Fannie Flagg**** | Seattle Book Mama
Nobody should ever say that Fannie Flagg doesn’t give us our money’s worth! There are over 30 short stories in this nifty collection, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House for the invitation to read and review; had it been necessary, I would have paid hard cold cash for…
Coffin Moon, by Keith Rosson***** | Seattle Book Mama
“One thing you can be certain of, boy. Things change. Even for those such as us.” In 2018, I read a book by a promising local author titled Smoke City. It was complex and kept me on my toes, and all told, it was a good novel. Since I enjoyed it, the small publisher he…
The Dilemmas of Working Women, by Fumio Yamamoto** | Seattle Book Mama
I haven’t been this disappointed in a book in quite some time. The Dilemmas of Working Women is Fumio Yamamoto’s collection of five stories about women that work (or that should but don’t,) and it is immensely successful and highly regarded in her native Japan. As I read, I kept looking for the greatness, a…
My Friends, by Fredrik Backman***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
“Being human is to grieve, constantly.” Well now. Fredrik Backman’s many fans ought to brace themselves for his latest novel. The feel-good stories he’s written, and written brilliantly, in years gone by are nowhere in evidence here; those of us that look to this author to bolster our sense of optimism and to remember that…
The Fisherman’s Gift, by Julia R. Kelly***** | Seattle Book Mama
“Why is it, she asks herself, that we only ever remember the things we did wrong?” Julia R. Kelly’s novel The Fisherman’s Gift tells a luminous tale of long ago, and it is one of the year’s best. My thanks go to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the invitation to read and review. This…
The Strange Case of Jane O, by Karen Thompson Walker***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
When I saw that the author of The Dreamers, had a new novel, I jumped at the chance to read it. While The Strange Case of Jane O isn’t of the same caliber as her previous effort, it’s a solid read. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House for the invitation to read and…
Through an Open Window, by Pamela Terry***** | Seattle Book Mama
“When you’re the last one with memories it’s like trying to hold on to hot sand.” Author Pamela Terry never misses. Her debut, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, forged such an emotional connection in me that if someone had told me they didn’t like it, I might not have cared for them as much as…
Too Old for This, by Samantha Downing***** | Seattle Book Mama
Too Old for This is author Samantha Downing’s wickedly funny novel about a female serial killer. She’s retired now, living under an assumed name, but then a journalist comes to her door. She knows things and intends to write about them, and she won’t be dissuaded; then, of course, a woman has to do what…
The Hounding, by Xenobe Purvis***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
Who could walk away from this book cover? The Hounding, the arresting debut by Xenobe Purvis, is a story set during summer in eighteenth century England, in a tiny hamlet. Five motherless girls are given more freedom than is customary, and a rumor takes hold that the girls turn into dogs and wreak havoc on…
Heal the Beasts, by Philipp Schott***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
Veterinarian Philipp Schott brings us another charming book, Heal the Beasts: A Jaunt Through the Curious History of Veterinary Arts. My thanks go to NetGalley and ECW Press for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now. In his trademark style, Schott provides veterinary history through a series of brief vignettes.…
Maggie, or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar, by Katie Yee**** | Seattle Book Mama
Author Katie Yee makes her novelistic debut with Maggie, or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar. A mother of two young children is blindsided when her husband reveals that he is having an affair with a woman named Maggie; almost simultaneously, she learns she has breast cancer, and so she decides to…
Fever Beach, by Carl Hiaasen**-*** | Seattle Book Mama
What happened? I used to absolutely love novels by Carl Hiaasen. In his most recent release, Fever Beach, we see a conflict between good—in the person of our main character, Viva Morales—and evil, played by a variety of Proud Boys wannabees and other undesirables. The good person is always good; the bad guys have no…
Overkill, by J.A. Jance***** | Seattle Book Mama
Overkill is the 18th book in the Ali Reynolds series. Ali and her husband, B. Simpson, run a cybersecurity firm. This mystery features two parallel problems. The first is when B’s first wife, Clarice, is accused of a murder that she didn’t commit. B. wants nothing to do with the problem—or Clarice—but Ali is convinced…
Class Clown, by Dave Barry****-***** | Seattle Book Mama
4.5 stars, rounded upwards. The first time I read a Dave Barry column, it was 1984, and a friend sent it to me. We had only snail mail back then, but it was so funny that she snipped it out of the airline magazine she’d read on a business trip and mailed it to me.…
The Medusa Protocol, by Rob Hart**** | Seattle Book Mama
“’I’m Mark, and I haven’t killed anyone in two and a half years,’ I say. ‘Hi, Mark.’” The Medusa Protocol is author Rob Hart’s second book in his Assassins Anonymous series. Happily for me, I didn’t notice that I was reading the second in a series; I didn’t read the first, and I might…
What Kind of Paradise, by Janelle Brown***** | Seattle Book Mama
What if the Unabomber had had a daughter? Thriller writer Janelle Brown spins a fascinating, credible, and memorable story based on this idea. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now. Jane Williams grows up in a remote mountain cabin with her…
May the Wolf Die, by Elizabeth Heider***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
“Sometimes, killing is necessary.” Elizabeth Heider is a scientist with a long, impressive track record. Now she has published her first mystery, May the Wolf Die, as well, proving that some of us can wear multiple hats very well indeed. My thanks go to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the invitation to read and…
Far and Away, by Amy Poeppel****-***** | Seattle Book Mama
Amy Poeppel is the queen of intelligent feel-good novels. Her newest work, Far and Away, is about two women that have never met, one in Dallas, one in Berlin, who exchange houses for several months. The deal is done fast, as both of them have a short time to line something up, and soon they…
Lady Killer, by Katherine Woods***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
Lady Killer marks the debut of novelist Katherine Wood. The suspense begins when Abby flies to Greece at the invitation of her best friend, an heiress named Gia, who is planning a birthday party there. Gia has disappeared, and it is her journal that provides clues as to what may have happened. Suspicion falls on…
This American Woman, by Zarna Garg***** | Seattle Book Mama
Zarna Garg is an immigrant, born and raised in India. She was rich, except for when she was poor; more on that in a minute. Ultimately, she came here for the same reason many people do: she had to make a break for it. My thanks go to Random House and NetGalley for the invitation…
Cat’s People, by Tanya Guerrero**** | Seattle Book Mama
Cat’s People marks author Tanya Guerrero’s debut in writing a novel for adults, and she does it beautifully. This heartwarming feel-good story tells the story of five people in Brooklyn that are brought together by a stray cat in the neighborhood. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the invitation to read…
Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall***** | Seattle Book Mama
I am late to the party, but it would be a crime not to review Broken Country, the stirring love story by Clare Leslie Hall that can make even the hardest cynic weepy-eyed. My thanks go to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the review copy. This book is for sale now. The story is…
Everybody Says It’s Everything, by Xhenet Aliu**-*** | Seattle Book Mama
2.5 stars, rounded upwards. Xhenet (pronounced similar to “Jeanette”) Aliu is the author of Brass, the award-winning debut novel that was one of my favorites of 2018. When I saw that she had a new book, Everybody Says It’s Everything, I was so excited that I bounced up and down in my desk chair. My…
The Children of Eve, by John Connolly***** | Seattle Book Mama
If Stephen King and James Lee Burke had a baby—an unnatural one, of course—it would probably look a lot like John Connolly. Connolly has a genius for creating tales that take place on Earth, and are in most regards realistic, while adding elements of the supernatural that go well beyond magical realism. There’s the mystery,…
One Perfect Couple, by Ruth Ware*** | Seattle Book Mama
One Perfect Couple is Ruth Ware’s tale of reality television gone horribly wrong. Our protagonist, Lyla, agrees to appear on the show because Nico, her boyfriend, is trying to boost his acting career, and the show won’t accept single applicants; if he’s not there as half of a couple, he can’t even apply, let alone…
The Family Recipe, by Carolyn Huynh***** | Seattle Book Mama
“We all need to feel needed. Otherwise, what’s the point of living?” Carolyn Huynh made her authorial debut in 2022 with The Fortunes of Jaded Women. It was one of my favorite novels not only of that year, but of all the thousand-plus galleys I have read since I began reviewing. She’s back again with…
The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett***** | Seattle Book Mama
The Road to Tender Hearts is aptly named, possibly the most big-hearted novel of 2025. Author Annie Hartnett first came on my radar in 2022 when she published Unlikely Animals, which turned out to be one of my favorites that year. When I saw that she had a new one out, I tried to temper…
Night and Day, by John Connolly**** | Seattle Book Mama
“Surely, once a book is out in the world, and being read, the world is altered, for better or worse.” John Connolly is one of my favorite authors, and because of this, I automatically snap up any book that appears with his name on it. But this one is unlike the others I’ve read, and…
Murder in an English Garden, by Carlene O’Connor***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
Murder in an Irish Garden is the eleventh in the Irish Village mystery series by Carlene O’Connor, but I haven’t read any of the earlier books. My thanks go to Kensington Books, RB Media, and NetGalley for the review copies; this book is for sale now. I was drawn to this book because it features…
The Doorman, by Chris Pavone***** | Seattle Book Mama
“It’s up to everyone to draw a line, and hold it.” Chris Pavone writes white-knuckle thrillers, and he’s one of the best in the business. His new novel, The Doorman, is one you won’t want to miss. My thanks go to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Farrar, Strauss and Giroud for the review copies; this book…
The Rulebreaker, by Susan Page***** | Seattle Book Mama
Barbara Walters was a force to be reckoned with. She was the journalistic pioneer who singlehandedly smashed the glass ceiling that kept women from anchoring network news; over the years she would conduct television interviews with heads of state, criminals, otherwise reclusive stars, and anyone else she deemed newsworthy. She was ruthless in the pursuit…
The Second Coming, by Garth Risk Hallberg***-**** | Seattle Book Mama
Garth Risk Hallberg is the author of the epic, memorable novel City on Fire, which was among my short list of favorites the year it was published. My thanks go to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf for the invitation to read and review his new novel, The Second Coming. This book is for sale now.…
Book Review Hot Air, by Marcy Dermansky***** | Seattle Book Mama
4.5 stars. An impulsive choice made at the last minute, and how often do those pan out? Literary fiction, 4 stars. Joannie is an author trying to live off the increasingly scant checks garnered by her first--and last--novel. She's a single parent, and as she and the rest of the world come out of hiding…
Murder at Gull’s Nest, by Jess Kidd***** | Seattle Book Mama
Nora Breen has sprung the coop, run away from her home of the past thirty years and come to Gull’s Nest, a rooming house near the sea. “Gull’s nest is that sort of place, isn’t it? Where the dreamers and schemers wash up.” And indeed, that’s our Nora. “A washed up nun…An abandoned friend. Flotsam…
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye**-*** | Seattle Book Mama
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye marks Briony Cameron’s authorial debut. She is a talented wordsmith, and my thanks go to Atria Books and NetGalley for the invitation to read and review. While I enjoyed several exciting passages—I do adore a good pirate tale—in the end there were issues with credibility that got in my way.…
The Maid’s Secret, by Nita Prose****-****** | Seattle Book Mama
Molly the Maid is back for the third installment of Nita Prose’s excellent and wildly successful series. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the review copy. This book will be available to the public April 8, 2025. As in the first two books, we find Molly employed at The Regency Grand…
Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow, by Damilare Kuku | Seattle Book Mama
When a novel written and set in Nigeria is so successful that it’s translated into English and sold in the U.S., you know it’s probably one hell of a good book, and Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow is clear evidence that this is true. My thanks go to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the review copy;…
Hang on St. Christopher, by Adrian McKinty***** | Seattle Book Mama
Fans of Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy mystery series, celebrate! The eighth installment, Hang on St. Christopher, is out, and it’s well worth the wait. My endless thanks go to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the review copy. This book will be available to the American public tomorrow, March 4, 2025. When we rejoin Duffy, he’s…
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave***** | Seattle Book Mama
Finlay Donovan is a full time mom who finds herself short on resources after her attorney husband leaves her for someone else. In the first episode, she finds herself with a corpse that she may or may not have killed; fearing the worst, she disposes of it, and the next thing she knows, her name…