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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…
The Damages, by Shelley Costa**** | Seattle Book Mama
Shelley Costa, one of my favorite cozy mystery and humor writers, gave us No Mistaking Death, a new series introducing amateur sleuth Marian Warner in 2023. Here she is back with the second in the series, The Damages. My thanks go to the author, NetGalley, and Level Best Books for the review copies. This book…
Shattered, by Hanif Kureishi*** | Seattle Book Mama
A while back, I read a novel by Hanif Kureishi titled The Last Word. It was not his most successful book in terms of sales, but I was gob-smacked by his cleverness, and so when I saw that he had a memoir coming out, I felt compelled to read it, even though it was likely…
The Answer is No, by Fredrik Backman**** | Seattle Book Mama
Who can resist a story by Fredrik Backman? His soothing tone and positive message about the nature of humanity is balm for the soul. So although I seldom read stand alone short stories, I leapt on this one right away. My thanks go to NetGalley and Amazon for the review copy. This book is for…
Somewhere Toward Freedom, by Bennett Parten***** | Seattle Book Mama
Bennett Parten is a fine historical writer, and here he examines General William Sherman’s renowned march through Georgia during the American Civil War through the lens of the formerly enslaved people that followed him. It’s a job that needed doing, and I’m glad that Parten was the one to do it. My thanks go to…
American Spirits, by Russell Banks***** | Seattle Book Mama
American Spirits is a collection of three short stories that take place in the fictional New England town of Sam Dent. My thanks go to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf for the review copy. This book is for sale now. I wasn’t sure this book would be up to Banks’s usual standard, as it was…
The Great Hippopotamus Hotel, by Alexander McCall Smith***** | Seattle Book Mama
The 25th book in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series is not to be missed. My thanks go to NetGalley and Knopf/Doubleday for the review copy; this book is available to the public now. When life becomes stressful, what do you do? Some swear by yoga, herbal tea, walking or running, therapy, mindfulness, journaling, or…
Open Season, by Jonathan Kellerman*** | Seattle Book Mama
3.5 stars, rounded downward. Open Season is the fortieth (!) in the Alex Delaware series, one that I have read since the very first book. Newbies can read it as a stand alone novel, however. My thanks go to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for the review copy. It will be available to the public…
Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank, by Elle Cosimano**** | Seattle Book Mama
Fans of Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan series will recognize her trusty sidekick and BFF, Vero. Over the course of the series, we’ve had many hints about Vero’s past, and Finlay sometimes wonders why Vero is so tightlipped about her personal history. This short story provides curious readers with some background, as well as some of the…
You’ll Never Believe Me, by Kari Ferrell**-*** | Seattle Book Mama
My thanks go to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the invitation to read and review. This book will be available to the public January 7, 2025. The blurb for this book had me at hello. Korean baby girl adopted by Caucasian Americans, who then become Mormons; a childhood and adolescence rife with alienation, discrimination,…
The Slate, by Matthew FitzSimmons***** | Seattle Book Mama
Author Matthew FitzSimmons is a veteran novelist, but he is new to me. I picked up on the buzz generated by his most recent book, a political thriller titled The Slate. What a ride! This is a true thriller, one that gripped me at the outset and didn’t let me go till it was done…
Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children, by Daniel Foxx**** | Seattle Book Mama
3.5 stars rounded upward. My thanks go to NetGalley and Octopus Publishing for the review copy. This book is for sale now. This book came to my attention when a Goodreads friend reviewed it, and I decided on the spot that I had to read it. Author Daniel Foxx may never get his tongue out…
Carl Perkins, the King of Rockabilly, by Jeff Apter***** | Seattle Book Mama
“’I had only three childhood idols,’ John [Lennon] would tell a friend. ‘Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.’ Paul McCartney would go one step further: ‘If there were no Carl Perkins,’ he’d state, ‘there would be no Beatles.’” When I saw this book, I felt a slight buzzing at the back of my mind.…
Emperor of the Seas, by Jack Weatherford***** | Seattle Book Mama
How much do you know about the Mongol empires? If you grew up in the U.S., chances are you answered, “Absolutely nothing.” The world is a big place, and world history has never been much of a priority in American schools; we study various phases of U.S. history, state history, and in a wild flurry…
How to Summon a Fairy Godmother, by Laura J. Mayo***** | Seattle Book Mama
“She was Theodosia Balfour. Good things did not happen to her.” Theo is engaged to be married, despite her wishes; her mother has bartered her to an ancient, badly behaved duke for the prestige of his title and the money she must have to keep the family manse. Beggers can’t be choosers, amirite? Her stepsister…