Closer Than You Know (2018) is a skillfully crafted novel.

What do you do when the worst happens?

Disaster, Melanie Barrick was once told, is always closer than you know.

It was a lesson she learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she’s survived into adulthood—with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby boy named Alex—she thought that turmoil was behind her.

Until one Monday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he’s been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why.

It’s a terrifying scenario for any parent, but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls “the system.”

Her nightmare mushrooms when she arrives home to learn her house has been raided by sheriff’s deputies, who have found enough cocaine to send Melanie to prison for years. …

Breaking Silence (2011) is another in the Kate Burkholder murder mystery series.

Mixed feelings.

The writing is average, at best.

BUT troubled Kate, as a former Amish teen turned police chief, faces interesting scenarios.

The Slabaugh family are model Amish farmers, prosperous and hardworking, with four children and a happy extended family.

When the parents and an uncle are found dead in their barn, it appears to be a gruesome accident: methane gas asphyxiation caused by a poorly ventilated cesspit.

But in the course of a routine autopsy, the coroner discovers that one of the victims suffered a head wound before death–clearly, foul play was involved.

But who would want to make orphans of the Slabaughs’ children?

And is this murder somehow related to a recent string of shocking hate crimes against the Amish?

Not bad. Interesting twists and turns.

The Storm (2026) is a slow-burn mystery by American author Rachel Hawkins.

Set in the fictional coastal town of St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama, the novel follows a dual-timeline narrative.

• 1984: During the devastating Hurricane Marie, Landon Fitzroy, a wealthy political scion and son of Alabama’s governor, is found dead. His 19-year-old mistress, Gloria “Lo” Bailey, is accused of his murder but later acquitted in a highly publicized trial.
• 2025/2026: Geneva Corliss, the struggling owner of the historic Rosalie Inn, welcomes true-crime writer August Fletcher. He arrives to research Landon’s death for a new book and unexpectedly brings Lo Baile.

This is something of a sequel to The Kind Worth Killing — but I found it much better.

The Kind Worth Saving (2023) is a psychological thriller by Peter Swanson …

The story follows Henry Kimball, a former English teacher and police officer who is now working as a private investigator in Massachusetts.

• The Case: A former student, Joan Grieve, hires Kimball to investigate her husband, Richard, whom she suspects is having an affair. 
• The Connection: Joan and Kimball share a dark past; they were both present during a traumatic school shooting years earlier while Kimball was her teacher. 
• The Twist: What begins as a standard infidelity case quickly turns into a double murder investigation when Kimball finds two bodies in an empty house. 
• The Collaboration: Faced with a case that mirrors his own past tragedies, Kimball enlists the help of his former nemesis/frenemy, the sociopathic but brilliant Lily Kintner, to uncover the truth.

Moon Over Soho (2011) by Ben Aaronovitch is weakest of the series I’ve read, so far.

I was reminded why I don’t much like fantasy fiction. Plot too far removed from reality.

The dialogue is still funny, but less so.

I do enjoy the police procedural details.

In this one Police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant investigates a series of bizarre, magically-linked deaths in the jazz scene of London’s Soho district.

It’s personal to Peter, as his father is a jazz musician.

The Threat: Vicious creatures are stalking Soho, feeding on the innate creative talents and beauty of musicians, leaving ruin behind.

Key Characters: Peter is assisted by his wizard mentor, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, and Simone Fitzwilliam, a beautiful jazz journalist and ex-lover of the first victim

Only Time Will Tell (2011) is 1st of the 7 books in the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer.

Excellent.

The narrative spans the years 1920 to 1940, tracing the early life of protagonist Harry Clifton in Bristol, England. 

• The Mystery of Parentage: Raised by a single mother, Harry grows up believing his father died a war hero. He eventually discovers dark family secrets that tie him to the wealthy Barrington shipping dynasty, forcing him to question his true identity.
• A Changing Destiny: Though expected to follow his uncle into the grueling dockyards, Harry’s exceptional singing voice earns him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, altering his future completely.
• The Outbreak of War: The novel follows Harry through his university years and culminates as the Second World War erupts, forcing him to choose between attending Oxford or enlisting to fight Nazi Germany.

The character I enjoyed most — of many — is Harry Clifton’s close friend and mentor, Old Jack Tar.

Wisdom personified.

Harry’s rise from poverty to high academic prowess is inspirational.

Cliffhanger ending …

I’m thinking Shan Serafin was the principal author of these 3 fast novellas. The style really doesn’t feel like Patterson.

Very good.

DEAD MAN RUNNING: Psychiatrist Randall Beck specializes in PTSD cases–and his time is limited. Especially when he uncovers a plot to kill a presidential candidate.

113 MINUTES: Molly Rourke’s son has been murdered–and she knows who’s responsible. Now she’s taking the law into her own hands. Never underestimate a mother’s love.

13-MINUTE MURDER: He can kill anybody in just minutes–from the first approach to the clean escape. His skills have served him well, and he has a grand plan: to get out alive and spend his earnings with his beloved wife, Maria.
An anonymous client offers Ryan a rich payout to assassinate a target in Harvard Yard. It’s exactly the last big job he needs to complete his plan.

Amazon

This book explores the complexities of aging, loneliness, and the “extraordinary resilience” of ordinary people.

Olive Kitteridge is the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning book adapted for an the HBO miniseries starring Frances McDormand.

Olive, Again (2019) is a sequel, 13 short stories that are interrelated but discontinuous.

The sequel is similar — but I’d argue even better than the original.

Olive Kitteridge is now in her seventies and eighties.

Still blunt, unkind, and insensitive — but less so. Seems she’s gotten a little more mellow.

In her review for The Washington Post, Joan Frank gave the novel a positive review, calling it “arguably better than the original” and writing, “Sentences flow in simplest words and clearest order — yet line after line hammers home some of the most complex human rawness you’ll ever read.”

I was surprisingly intrigued with the chapter called Cleaning:

A teenage girl, Kayley, develops an unsettling arrangement with her employer while struggling with her own awakening and the loss of her father.

Neither book is a must read in my opinion.

BUT, as I get elderly, I find I’m more interested in old farts.

I can relate.