Not bad.

 In the latest instalment, NAKED GREED (2016), the narrative begins when Stone helps a man who is being beaten up by two thugs who turn out to be former police officers. After the fight is over and the victim has a chance to talk, he and Stone become fast friends.

Stone learns that the man’s name is Jose Perado, but he wants to be called “Pepe.” He says he is a beer brewer from San Antonio, Texas, and wants to open a brewery, which would bring his business to New York City. …

Book Reporter

Not a bad Stone Barrington novel.

Hot Pursuit is Book 33 of 66: Stone Barrington.

The love interest in this one is Pat Frank, a blond, slight and attractive young woman who is assigned to check whether he is ready to fly his new plane.

They fall into bed. All good — until her jealous former lover/partner shows up.

Two subplots unfold to move the story along.

The first is a search for Middle Eastern terrorists intent on launching a plot against the U.S. run by Holly and her enthusiastic young assistant, Millicent Martindale, with help from the FBI.

The second is a cat-and-mouse air race ….

BookReporter

Excellent.

Thomas Perry is a terrific writer.

In Dead Aim, an unsuspecting man tries to help a young woman on the edge, and finds himself drawn into a lethal struggle with a deadly adversary–and then another, and another, and another.

The plot is driven by an ex-mercenary soldier who has set up a camp where he trains wealthy people (the only kind who can afford his fees) to hunt and kill other people. The body count is very high. The innocent hero becomes a target.

Fredrik Backman (born 2 June 1981) is a Swedish author of many best sellers.

Translation of My Friends (2025) is excellent, so far as I can tell.

Always interesting and original, this time the author wrote mostly a philosophical look at friendship:

• Ted and the painter (KimKim)
• Louisa and Fish
• Ted and Louisa
• 4 teenage friends (Ted, Joar, Ali, and KimKim)

It’s dark with far too many deaths. Poverty, abuse, hatred and ugliness of humanity. But very funny, as well.

Mouthy Louisa is an outrageous teenager. Very believable. I wonder if Backman modelled her on some young person he knows. 😀

A story that alternates between two timelines: the present-day journey of an 18-year-old named Louisa, who is grieving the loss of her best friend, and the past, 25 years earlier, when four teenage friends—Joar, Ted, Ali, and the artist C.J. Jat—spent a transformative summer together.

Their friendship and shared secrets lead to the creation of a world-famous painting, which Louisa discovers and becomes obsessed with. Louisa’s journey to learn the story behind the painting connects her own grief to the past lives of the four friends, exploring themes of friendship, loss, trauma, and the healing power of art and human connection.

A.I. summary

“This is Fredrik Backman at the height of his empathy and resonance. . . I frequently paused to marvel at the way Backman captured the rebellion of joy, the ferocity of devotion, and the cruelty of indifference. Every Backman book should come with the warning that your heart will be split in two, but also, more importantly, with the assurance that it will be repaired with restored faith in the small miracles of being human.” —NPR, Favorite Fiction Reads of 2025

This is a sequel to The Grey Wolf, a book I didn’t like.

Black Wolf is better.

Penny took pains to ensure Ruth and her duck make appearances. Our favourite character.

This book tries to be an end-of-the-world thriller. Not at all believable.

Will the USA invade Canada over fresh water?

I don’t buy it.

Always a doubter, for me the Gamache books have gotten worse over the years.

I liked them better when they were cozy village mysteries.

This book will be a huge success, despite complaints.

I do appreciate Penny pointing out the possibility of Trump becoming some kind of American dictator-for-life.

Nash Falls (2025) is surprisingly good.

Part 1 of an intriguing story. I’m looking forward to the sequel to be published 2026.

I’ve always considered Baldacci to be a lightweight pop fiction writer, cranking them out. BUT his recent books have been much more serious writing.

Walter Nash is a happy, wealthy, boring business executive.

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 ….

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 …

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.