Strangers in the Villa (2026) is recommended.

Twist and turns.

The story follows Sydney and Curtis Lowe, a New York couple whose lives unravel after Curtis confesses to an affair.

Desperate to repair their fractured marriage, they move to a remote, crumbling 1963 hilltop villa in Costa Brava, Spain.

Their isolated fresh start takes a tense turn when an attractive pair of Australian travelers arrives at their doorstep after a van breakdown. Craving companionship and free renovation help, Sydney and Curtis invite them to stay.

However, as shifting loyalties and deep secrets emerge, it becomes clear the strangers’ arrival may not be accidental, and survival at the villa is no longer guaranteed

A very poor novella. But fascinating, original format for a book.

Ratings frequently range from 3 to 5 stars, depending on whether the reader embraced the campy humour.

The Dinner Party: A Pick Your Poison Adventure (2026) is an interactive thriller by Freida McFadden with 22 possible endings.

Facing eviction, the broke protagonist takes a waitressing job at an isolated mansion on Peyton’s Peak. The reader controls the narrative by choosing the character’s actions at various turning points. 

The book features a distinct “choose-your-own-adventure” style, departing from her standard linear psychological thrillers. You can explore the various formats

Interesting premise. But not really a good fit for me.

Empire of Silence (2018) is first in the Sun Eater series.

The story is written as a first-person memoir told by Hadrian Marlowe, a man who is remembered by history both as a legendary hero who eradicated an alien threat and as a monster who destroyed a sun, killing billions of lives.

The Frame Narrative: An older, captive Hadrian looks back on his long life, attempting to explain the complex choices that led to his infamy. 

The Flight: To avoid a grim future engineered by his tyrannical father, Hadrian flees his aristocratic noble house.

The Fall: Stranded penniless on a backwater world, he is forced to live in the slums and eventually fight for survival as a gladiator. 

The Conflict: He becomes entangled in the political web of the Sollan Empire and the devastating, galaxy-wide war against the mysterious, predatory alien race known as the Cielcin

Thomas Perry (1947-2025) is one of my favourite writers.

I’m working backwards, reading more of his older books.

Pursuit (2021)is a standalone suspense novel that follows a high-stakes “cat-and-mouse” hunt across the United States between a relentless investigator and a professional hitman. 

That aspect of the book was fantastic. Good guy and bad guy at the top of their games.

It got slow and dull when each had a problematic romantic relationship.

Plot Summary

The story begins with a brutal mass murder at a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, where thirteen people are found dead. When local police are unable to find a suspect or motive, forensics expert Daniel Milliken determines the crime was the work of a highly skilled professional.

Milliken connects the father of one victim with Roy Prescott, an enigmatic specialist known for finding people who don’t want to be found.  

Prescott identifies his target as James Varney, a sociopathic hired gun who is as methodical and deadly as Prescott himself. To catch him, Prescott must goad Varney into believing he has to kill Prescott, turning the pursuit into a deadly game where only one can survive. 

No fixed line by by Dana Stabenow is the 22nd book in the acclaimed Kate Shugak Investigation mystery series.

I really enjoyed the previous book, and might just have to continue with this series. This one is good, as well.

The Setting: It is New Year’s Eve, and an intense, weeks-long blizzard has entirely cut Alaska off from the rest of the world.

The Crash: A small plane crashes deep within the remote Quilak mountains.

The Discovery: Because official aviation investigators cannot reach the site, ex-State Trooper Jim Chopin handles the initial search. He uncovers the wreckage, a large stash of fentanyl pills, and a dead pilot who has a criminal past.

The Survivors: Two young, traumatized Spanish-speaking children are found alive at the scene, revealing a dark human trafficking plot. 

The Subplot: Meanwhile, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak faces an unwelcome shock when a deceased enemy names her the trustee of his multi-million dollar estate.

I don’t love all the popular Freida McFadden books, but this one is very entertaining.

The Devil You Know (2017) is a medical comedy and women’s fiction novel as the second and final book in her Dr. Jane McGillduology.

Unlike her famous dark psychological thrillers (like The Housemaid), this earlier series leans heavily into medical humour, workplace drama, and romance.

The story follows Dr. Jane McGill, who finally feels like she has the perfect life.

She has a stable job at a VA Hospital, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter. However, her ideal world is upended when the hospital hires a new vascular surgeon: Dr. Ryan Reilly—the “Sexy Surgeon” who also happens to be the biggest jerk she ever loved.

Forced to work alongside her infuriating ex-boyfriend from a decade ago, Jane begins to question her past choices and her current marriage as old sparks fly and workplace comedy ensues

Another great book from one of my favourite authors.

Hang On St. Christopher (2025) is the 8th novel in Adrian McKinty’s critically acclaimed Sean Duffy mystery series, released on March 4, 2025.

Despite the previous book, The Detective Up Late, being heavily promoted as Duffy’s final case, this instalment welcomes the street-worn detective back for another dangerous assignment.

• The Setting: It is July 1992. The Troubles in Northern Ireland have been grinding on for 25 apocalyptic years.
  
• Duffy’s Status: Sean Duffy has successfully relocated his family over the water to Scotland. He is now a semi-retired part-timer, only returning to Belfast six days a month just to secure his police pension.
• The Inciting Incident: While his protégé, Detective Sergeant Lawson, is away on holiday in Spain, a seemingly straightforward case lands in Duffy’s lap. A middle-aged, solitary portrait painter is killed in what looks like a carjacking gone wrong.
• The Twist: Duffy quickly uncovers that the dead painter was actually an IRA assassin.
• The Stakes: Duffy is forced to figure out who hit the hitman and why. His investigation leads him into a complex web of parallel, true-events-based operations involving the CIA, MI5, and Special Branch, with the future of the burgeoning Irish peace process hanging in the balance

Dana Stabenow is an award winning author who sets books in her home state of Alaska.

Less Than a Treason (2017) is just one of many in her Kate Shugak series.

I enjoyed it.

The book opens four months after the dramatic cliffhanger of the previous novel, Bad Blood, where Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak was shot in the chest and nearly died,

Kate’s self-imposed isolation is shattered when a group of wilderness hikers stumbles near her territory. One hiker tumbles down a ridge and lands on a scattered heap of human bones. Realizing it is time to return to society, Kate packs up the remains, escorts the hikers back, and re-enters the town of Niniltna—shocking locals who assumed she was dead.

Once back, Kate is drawn into a complex web of corporate crime involving a lucrative secret gold mine: [1]

• The Geologist: Kate is hired by Sylvia McDonald to find her missing husband, Fergus, a seasoned geologist who disappeared near the Suulutaq Mine. Fergus was known for taking solo treks into the wilderness with his rock hammer, but this time, he hasn’t returned. 
• The Bootlegger: Simultaneously, Jim Chopin begins a search for Kate’s cousin, Martin Shugak—a petty criminal and bootlegger who has also mysteriously vanished.

Nora Roberts is a great story teller — but I can’t recommend her most recent book.

The ROMANCE is classic Nora Roberts. Very good.

But the main plot about a debut author chased by an extremely stupid stalker is … weak.

Review – Nora Roberts’ The Final Target Review: Worth the Hype?

The audio book reader is excellent, as usual ➙ January LaVoy.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.