#BookReview The Castaways by Lucy Clarke @atlanticcrime @PGCBooks #TheCastaways #LucyClarke #PGCBooks #AtlanticCrime

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Castaways by Lucy Clarke @atlanticcrime @PGCBooks #TheCastaways #LucyClarke #PGCBooks #AtlanticCrime Title: The Castaways

Author: Lucy Clarke

Published by: Atlantic Crime on Jan. 16, 2026

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Long Bright River meets Lost in this adrenaline-fueled thriller of a missing plane, a remote island, and two sisters torn apart when a vacation turns unthinkably deadly

Two years ago, a small plane disappeared over Fiji. For Erin, it’s been two years of obsessing over every detail, refusing to move forward even as life does. Her sister Lori was on that plane, and Erin was meant to be, too, but after a bitter argument, she failed to show. Everyone thinks Lori is dead, but Erin can’t let go.

Just when Erin is on the verge of losing hope, the pilot of the missing plane turns up still in Fiji, seemingly with no memory of the crash. In a final bid to find her sister, Erin travels there herself—but what she discovers is beyond anything she could have predicted.

A sharp-edged, darkly propulsive novel following two sisters whose lives are upended when their vacation of a lifetime goes disastrously awry, The Castaways is another scorcher from “queen of the destination thriller” (Claire Douglas) and million-copy bestselling author Lucy Clarke.

Review:

Simmering, gripping, and atmospheric!

The Castaways is an ominous, character-driven thriller that follows Erin Holme, a young woman determined to finally uncover the truth about what happened to her sister when the pilot of the aircraft her sister was on suddenly turns up alive two years after the plane went down somewhere in the South Pacific.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are determined, tormented, and impulsive. And the plot is a darkly menacing tale full of twists, turns, intrigue, drama, duplicity, manipulation, danger, deduction, secrets, lies, suspicion, survival, and murder.
 

Overall, The Castaways is a tortuous, addictive, unnerving tale by Clarke that is deliciously sinister, excessively deceptive, and absolutely bursting with misdirection and tension.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lucy Clarke

Lucy Clarke is the Sunday Times bestselling author of eight destination thrillers. Two of her thrillers, The Castaways and No Escape, have been adapted for screen and are now streaming on Paramount+. Her novels have been published in more than 25 territories worldwide.

Photo by James Bowden.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview Caste in the Stars by Leylah Attar @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #CasteInTheStars #LeylahAttar #PenguinReads

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Caste in the Stars by Leylah Attar @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #CasteInTheStars #LeylahAttar #PenguinReads Title: Caste in the Stars

Author: Leylah Attar

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Dec. 16, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

For fans of Becka Mack and Ana Huang comes a heart-stopping and utterly romantic story about two people from opposite sides of the world who dare to risk the odds to be together.

She did everything right—until her life fell apart.
The last place Priya Solanki wants to be is back at the funeral home her parents have run for decades—a place tied to a caste legacy the world says is long gone, but that her family carried from India to Canada and never let go of. Her traditional parents call it fate—proof that her path was written in the stars, just like the generations before her. But to Priya, it’s a life she never chose, and one she’s spent years trying to outrun. Her plan is simple: regroup, reset, and finally break the cycle.

Then Ethan Knight reappears.
Once the reckless, motorcycle-riding boy next door, he’s now a full-blown Hollywood star—older, incredibly handsome, and impossible to avoid. Adored by millions and followed everywhere by flashing cameras, he’s renting out the funeral home to prepare for a role—and flipping every piece of Priya’s plan upside down.

And finally, the stars align.
Trapped in close quarters with the boy she once loved in silence, Priya can’t escape the heat, the history, or the ache she’s buried for years. But falling for Ethan doesn’t just mean risking her heart; it means stepping into a world that was never built for someone like her—and daring to believe she belongs in it anyway.

But even if she takes the risk, what happens when Ethan leaves? Because, inevitably, he will.

Loving him wouldn’t just destroy her—it would destroy everything she’s trying to rebuild.

Review:

Heartwarming, hopeful, and sassy!

Caste in the Stars is a cute, romantic story that takes you into the life of the hardworking, dependable Priya Solanki as she navigates a recent divorce, an unwanted move back into her parents home, difficult conversations surrounding the financial stability of the family-owned funeral home, and an unexpected resurgence of feelings for a famous movie star, once her teenage crush, who is now briefly back in town.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters are fun-loving, supportive, and endearing. And the story is a heartfelt, witty mix of awkward situations, tender moments, self-discovery, fresh starts, friendship, family, culture, community, expectations, happiness, and love.
 

Overall, Caste in the Stars is a charming, flirty, feel-good read by Attar, with characters that are impossible not to root for and a swoon-worthy ending that left me smitten, satisfied, and eagerly anticipating whatever she whips up next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to Doubleday Canada for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Leylah Attar

LEYLAH ATTAR is an award-winning Indo-Canadian author. Her self-published work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal's bestseller lists. A recipient of the Writer's Digest Award and the IndieReader Discovery Award, Leylah writes stories that reflect her diverse influences and heritage, and have sold over 150K copies across formats. Caste in the Stars is her traditional publishing debut. She lives in Toronto with her husband, son and the most adorable Yorkshire Terrier on the planet.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview Dandelion is Dead by Rosie Story @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA #DandelionIsDead #RosieStory #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Dandelion is Dead by Rosie Story @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA #DandelionIsDead #RosieStory #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: Dandelion is Dead

Author: Rosie Story

Published by: Berkley on Jan. 13, 2026

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Literary Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Jake has fallen head over heels for Dandelion. The only problem? Dandelion is dead.

When Poppy discovers unanswered messages from a charming stranger in her late sister’s dating app, she makes an impulsive choice: She’ll meet him, just once, on what would have been Dandelion’s fortieth birthday. It’s exactly the kind of wild adventure her vivacious sister would have pushed her toward.

Jake is ready to find something real—and not least because his ex-wife’s twentysomething boyfriend has moved into their old family home. When he meets the intriguing woman who calls herself Dandelion, their connection is undeniable, and he can think of little else.

As their relationship deepens, Poppy finds herself trapped in a double life she never meant to create. Every moment with Jake feels genuine, electric, and totally right—despite the fact they’re tangled in deceit. As the lines between grief and love blur, Poppy faces a choice: keep her sister’s memory alive through her lies, or risk everything for a chance at her own happiness?

With sparkling wit and aching tenderness, debut author Rosie Storey gives us a modern love story about the courage it takes to live again after loss and finding hope in the most unexpected places.

Review:

Witty, tender, and touching!

Dandelion is Dead is a layered, perceptive tale featuring the heartbroken, grief-stricken Poppy who has been contemplating her life and masking her sorrow after the loss of her big sister, and Jake the single dad who seems like the perfect mate except for the fact he doesn’t know her true identity and she happens to have a fiancé at home.

The writing is heartfelt and direct. The characters are lonely, quirky, and adrift. And the plot is a lighthearted, touching blend of life, love, loss, introspection, friendship, grief, guilt, awkward situations, sweet moments, dating woes, misunderstandings, communication, intimacy, deception, and moving on.

Overall, Dandelion is Dead is an astute, moving, sincere novel by Story that is the first book I’ve read by this author, but certainly won’t be my last.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

             

 

Thank you to Berkley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rosie Story

Rosie Storey grew up on a farm in the south of England. She left her corporate career to finish her debut novel, Dandelion Is Dead. She holds a master’s in creative writing, lives in East London, and works as a writing coach.

Photo by Sophie Davidson.

#BookReview Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum @harperbooks #MurderYourDarlings #JennaBlum #HarperBooks

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum @harperbooks #MurderYourDarlings #JennaBlum #HarperBooks Title: Murder Your Darlings

Author: Jenna Blum

Published by: Harper on Jan. 13, 2026

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Harper Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For every woman who’s ever fallen for a bad man comes a hilarious and eviscerating tale of love, loss, and deadlines from New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum.

Known for such brilliant historical novels as Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family, A Mighty Blaze co-founder and New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum now offers a contemporary, suspenseful novel about love, loss, and revenge in the world of books.

Simone “Sam” Vetiver is a mid-career novelist finishing a lukewarm publicity tour while facing a deadline for a new book on which she’s totally blocked. Recently divorced, Sam is worrying where her life is going when she receives glowing fan mail from stratospherically successful author William Corwyn, renowned for his female-centric novels. When William and Sam meet and his literary sympathy is as intense as their chemistry, both writers think they’ve found The One.

But as in their own novels, things between Sam and William are not what they seem. William has multiple stalkers, including a scarily persistent one named The Rabbit. He lives on a remote Maine island, where his writer life resembles The Shining. And when writers turn up dead, including from The Darlings support group William runs, Sam has to ask: Is it The Rabbit—William’s #1 Stalker? Another woman scorned? Can William be everything he seems?

Narrated by Sam, William, and The Rabbit, Murder Your Darlings is a wickedly witty look at today’s literary landscape and down-the-rabbit-hole tale of how far people will go for love.

Review:

Creepy, atmospheric, and ominous!

Murder Your Darlings is an unpredictable, fast-paced thriller that follows Sam, a young writer paralyzed by writer’s block, whose life is upended when she becomes entangled with the charming and highly successful author William Corwyn who, although seemingly generous and supportive, soon reveals a darker aura that includes an unsettling number of stalkers and an alarming trail of dead acquaintances.

The prose is sharp and relentless. The characters are devious, obsessive, unscrupulous, and vulnerable. And the plot, told through alternating perspectives, builds nicely to create tension and suspense as it exposes layers of manipulation, questionable motives, duplicitous personalities, and parasitic relationships.
 

Overall, Murder Your Darlings is a cleverly plotted, eerie, compelling page turner by Blum that chillingly illustrates just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally exploited.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to Harper for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jenna Blum

JENNA BLUM is the New York Times bestselling author of The Stormchasers. Jenna is of German and Jewish descent and spent four years working for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, interviewing Holocaust survivors. She teaches fiction for Grub Street Writers.

Photo by Janna Giacoppo.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X

#BookReview Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #MostEligible #IsabelleEngel #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #SMPRomance

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #MostEligible #IsabelleEngel #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #SMPRomance Title: Most Eligible

Author: Isabelle Engel

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jan. 13, 2026

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor in this action-packed rom-com debut about an investigative journalist who sneaks onto reality TV only to fall for the wrong guy.

Georgia Rose is not going on the hit reality dating show Love Shack to find love. She’s there to write a killer exposé on the producers, which will guarantee the journalism job of her dreams. But when Georgia’s unforgettable one-night stand from the year before, country singer Rhett Auburn, steps into the Malibu mansion as the season’s new host, all of her carefully crafted plans unravel.

Caught up in the drama of backstabbing contestants, producer blackmail, and death-defying dates, Georgia must keep her identity—and history with Rhett—a secret. Despite the lies between them, it isn’t long before Georgia and Rhett’s heated behind-the-scenes moments start to feel more genuine than the romance Georgia’s faking for the cameras. But with her assignment unfinished and the executive producer on her tail, a second chance with Rhett could be her riskiest move of all.

Review:

Charming, light, and amusing!

Most Eligible is a witty, engaging tale that introduces Georgia Rose, an investigative journalist who, after agreeing to go undercover as a contestant on the reality dating show Love Shack to uncover what really goes on behind the scenes finds her plan quickly going sideways when she discovers that this season’s host is none other than Rhett Auburn, the sexy country music star she once shared an unforgettable one-night stand with.

The writing is warm and humorous. The characters are competitive, quirky, and impulsive. And the story delivers a captivating blend of life, love, drama, friendship, emotion, competition, secrets, deception, gossip, fantasy dates, snappy dialogue, sizzling chemistry, tender moments, and steamy romance.

Overall, Most Eligible is a cute, cosy, entertaining tale by Engel that was a true delight to read.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to SMP Romance for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Isabelle Engel

Originally from New England, ISABELLE ENGEL (she/her) now lives and works in Washington, D.C. She has an MA in English literature from George Washington University. When she’s not imagining ways to make reality TV even more dramatic, she can be found reading, doing dance fitness, and petting other people’s dogs. Most Eligible is her debut novel.

Photo by Nicole Marie.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Axe and Grind by Taylor Hutton @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #AxeAndGrind #TaylorHutton #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Axe and Grind by Taylor Hutton @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #AxeAndGrind #TaylorHutton #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: Axe and Grind

Author: Taylor Hutton

Published by: Berkley on Jan. 6, 2026

Genres: Dark Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 7.5/10

In this decadently dark romance, a virtual dating experiment spins into a deadly web of obsession, greed, love, and passion.

Josie Greene has always been a glass half-full kind of girl. But after a messy breakup, she’s broke, betrayed, and barely getting by. Even her trusted tarot cards point to chaos in her future. And they’re Axe MacKenzie needs her help.

As part of the tech CEO’s latest covert mission, Axe has been developing a simulator to create any user’s “Perfect Match,” and bubbly Josie is the ideal woman to test his product. When the gorgeous, reclusive billionaire makes her an offer—fake date him so he can launch his groundbreaking AI dating app—Josie’s in no position to refuse.

But Axe’s two worlds collide as the criminal underworld corrupts their experimental fling. What started as steamy role-play quickly spirals into a very real threat, leaving both Josie and Axe no choice but to uncover their well-buried pasts. With her life on the line, Josie will have to trust the man who has created the ultimate virtual illusion—and who might be hiding the most sinister truths of all…

Review:

Seductive, edgy, and menacing!

Axe and Grind is a tantalizing, provocative tale that plunges readers into the lives of Josie Green, a hardworking, spiritual young woman shaped by hardship and heartbreak, and Axe MacKenzie, a tech CEO who spends his days building an AI-driven dating app and his nights moonlighting as a vigilante, exacting brutal justice on society’s most depraved.

The writing is intense and charged. The characters are troubled, impulsive, and vulnerable. And the plot weaves an alluring mix of friendship, family, drama, danger, expectation, desire, vengeance, self-discovery, and lingering childhood trauma.

Overall, Axe and Grind is a tight, erotic, sinister novel by Hutton that is dark, layered, and entertaining.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Taylor Hutton

Taylor Hutton is the pseudonym of a pair of writer friends, one of whom has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award and the other who is a New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award finalist. Between the two of them, they have written over forty books. When they are not passing their latest sexy thriller back and forth on Google Doc, they are browsing bookstores, sending each other ridiculous memes, walking their dogs Trudy and Potato around their Los Angeles neighborhood, and making their children cringe with their TikTok videos.

Photo by Indy Flores

Website | Instagram

#BookReview Nash Falls by David Baldacci @davidbaldacci @GrandCentralPub #NashFalls #WalterNashSeries #DavidBaldacci #GCPInsider

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Nash Falls by David Baldacci @davidbaldacci @GrandCentralPub #NashFalls #WalterNashSeries #DavidBaldacci #GCPInsider Title: Nash Falls

Author: David Baldacci

Series: Walter Nash #1

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Nov. 11, 2025

Genres: Crime Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 448

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

When Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network his life is turned completely upside down in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

Walter Nash is a sensitive, intelligent and kindhearted man. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.

However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.

Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with the FBI, she turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated. And that forces Nash to take the ultimate step both to survive and to take his revenge: He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been.

And even that may not be enough.

Review:

Intense, sharp, and action-packed!

Nash Falls is a sinister, engrossing thriller that introduces Walter Nash, a highly successful acquisitions executive who, following the death of his estranged father, suddenly finds himself working with the FBI when it becomes apparent that something deeply illicit is happening at the investment firm where he works, and he’s quickly drawn into a dangerous web where powerful forces will stop at nothing to silence him, including kidnapping his daughter and destroying his reputation.

The writing is crisp and controlled. The characters are astute, driven, and multi-layered. And the intricate plot keeps you fully engrossed from start to finish, with all the twists, turns, deception, revelations, corruption, power plays, red herrings, violence, and murder.

In case you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved this novel, and once again, Nash Falls proves that when it comes to crafting exceptionally complex, fast-paced, and expertly plotted crime fiction with unforgettable characters and nefarious storylines, Baldacci remains one of the very best.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

             

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About David Baldacci

David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Photograph by Allen Jones.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Bookbub

#BookReview The Storm by Rachel Hawkins @LadyHawkins @StMartinsPress #TheStormNovel #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Storm by Rachel Hawkins @LadyHawkins @StMartinsPress #TheStormNovel #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Storm

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jan. 6, 2026

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 288

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Review:

Dark, atmospheric, and suspenseful!

The Storm is a tense, absorbing tale that transports you to Alabama and into the lives of a handful of interconnected characters, including Lo Bailey, the acquitted suspect in a decades-old murder, and Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, as the past collides violently with the present and a looming hurricane threatens not only to devastate the community but also unearth long-buried truths.

The writing is ominous and controlled. The characters are flawed, guarded, and secretive. And the plot is an intense mix of life, loss, friendship, family, lies, guilt, deception, resentment, privilege, betrayal, fractured alliances, and questionable motives.
 

Overall, The Storm is a taut, gripping, twisty tale by Hawkins that is a compelling read for fans of smart, character-driven thrillers, where the setting is just as perilous as the people within it.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, as well as multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

Photo by John Hawkins.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Silent Bones by Val McDermid @valmcdermid @PGCBooks #SilentBones #InspectorKarenPirie #ValMcDermid #PGCBooks

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Silent Bones by Val McDermid @valmcdermid @PGCBooks #SilentBones #InspectorKarenPirie #ValMcDermid #PGCBooks Title: Silent Bones

Author: Val McDermid

Series: Inspector Karen Pirie #8

Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press on Nov. 14, 2023

Genres: Crime Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Scotland, 2025. When torrential winter rain causes a landslide on a  motorway, it dislodges more than mud and asphalt – it reveals a skeleton, concealed when the road was built eleven years prior. 

Sam Nimmo, an investigative journalist who’d been poking his nose into the murky politics of the Scottish independence referendum, had become the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend when he vanished. Now he’s reappeared, buried under the motorway. It’s the perfect cold case for DCI Karen Pirie, chief of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit. What was Nimmo investigating that was worth killing over? Or was it revenge for murdering his girlfriend? Meanwhile, an allegation of murder has surfaced over the supposedly accidental death of a hotel manager. It may have links to another accident on a remote Highland road. It’s a series of puzzles that tests Karen and her team to their limits. And possibly beyond . . .

A darkly propulsive thriller of secrets hidden at the core of a Scottish Highlands town, Silent Bones reaffirms Val McDermid as a crime writer of inimitable power.

Review:

Gripping, gritty, and entertaining!⁣

In her latest novel, 𝐒ilent Bones, McDermid takes us back to Edinburgh, where DCI Pirie and her team in the Historic Cases Unit are investigating the homicide of an investigative reporter who vanished eleven years earlier after being accused of murdering his girlfriend, and delving into a potential scandal involving several politically powerful individuals.⁣

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are driven, intuitive, and tenacious, and the plot unfolds as a complex web of deception, abuse, deprivation, manipulation, control, power, mayhem, violence, and murder.⁣

Overall, 𝐒ilent Bones is a captivating, intricate, and menacing thriller that delivers everything I’ve come to expect from McDermid’s police procedurals, including strong pacing, meticulous deduction, and plenty of suspense.⁣

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Val McDermid

Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.

She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.

She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.

Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Google+

#BookReview You Watched in Silence by H. Lee Justine @BlackstoneAudio #YouWatchedInSilence #HLeeJustine #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview You Watched in Silence by H. Lee Justine @BlackstoneAudio #YouWatchedInSilence #HLeeJustine #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders Title: You Watched in Silence

Author: H. Lee Justine

Published by: Blackstone Publishing on Nov. 18, 2025

Genres: LGBTQIA, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 360

Format: Hardcover

Source: Blackstone Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Caitlyn believes her world is falling apart when her best friend cuts her off—until she gets a message from the only person who can put it back together. Family vlogger Bella Greene—the celebrity influencer she and her ex-best friend were obsessed with—offers Caitlyn a job as nanny to her twins.

Like millions of others, Caitlyn knows that Bella’s life is in pieces, too. Canceled over perceived indifference to a tragic suicide by one of her fans, Bella fled with her family to a remote island off the coast of Washington. For Caitlyn, the opportunity to help Bella will also help her to heal; a way to honor the past while creating a new future.

Caitlyn can’t believe how easily she bonds with the twins. She also feels an instant connection with the family’s flirtatious chef, Hannah Zhou, who soon stirs romantic impulses that Caitlyn never imagined having again. It feels like magic … until she catches a glimpse of a mysterious girl that nobody else can see.

Before she knows it, Caitlyn descends into constant terror, unable to tell if she is losing her mind or being haunted by a past she’d rather forget. Worse, there is magic here, a dark force that manifests in mysterious pentagrams, animal sacrifices, and scrawled threats right in Bella’s backyard, and increasingly close to her home.

But who’s behind it? Is it a disgruntled employee? A scorned lover? Or someone out for unjust revenge? Because Bella didn’t do anything wrong … right?

Review:

Simmering, gripping, and claustrophobic!

You Watched in Silence is an ominous, character-driven thriller that introduces Caitlyn, a young woman who, after being hired as the nanny for a family vlogger she and her former best friend have idolized for years, quickly realizes that everything is not as perfect as it appears. Beneath the polished façade of affluence, relationships are strained, secrets abound, and danger seems to lurk around every corner.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are anxious, secretive, and vulnerable, while the plot unfolds as a darkly menacing tale packed with twists, revelations, insecurities, lies, manipulation, isolation, vengeance, familial dysfunction, and troubled pasts.

Overall, You Watched in Silence is a taut, atmospheric, unnerving thriller by Justine that’s relentlessly deceptive and full of eerie surprises.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

             

 

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About H. Lee Justine

H. Lee Justine is the author of You Watched in Silence. She is a career ghostwriter who has been featured in NPR for her work with famous clients. Maybe you've even read one of her books already. But after years of writing other people's stories, she's excited to see her own name on bookshelves. Her affinity for creepy stories started at age nine and never stopped. When she's not writing, you can find her making content on TikTok.

Instagram