Author: Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Partner. Parent. Reader. Retired Library Director in Rochester NY.
Book Tour, Family, Fantasy, Historical, Mythology, Partners In Crime

Circle of Nine: The Novella Collection by Valerie Biel

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour October 27 – December 31

Description

Return to the Celtic magic that began with the suspenseful, award-winning novel Circle of Nine – Beltany.

Descended from a legendary Celtic tribe that guards the secrets of the ancient stone circles, the Quinn women have a great responsibility to protect their pagan rituals and way of life. As members of the formidable Circle of Nine, they celebrate the holidays of the year from Yule to Samhain, keeping the traditions of the Tuatha de Danann alive through the centuries against insurmountable odds. We first met these women in Circle of Nine – Beltany, and now a set of three novellas reveals more of their engaging stories.

In Bressa’s Banishment the power struggle between Father Banan and village healer Bressa Gormley unfolds amidst accusations of treachery, heresy, and murder. Can the Circle protect their trusted healer and the path of the Tuatha against a growing religious fervor?

Dervla’s Destiny brings us to medieval Ireland where the beloved character Dervla Quinn learns of her gifts and fights tremendous loss, betrayal, and violence, all the while never giving up on finding the love she deserves.

In Phoebe’s Mission, when an evil force on a quest for ultimate power threatens the Circle of Nine, Phoebe Quinn must leave Ireland for the first time and travel to the United States to protect their way of life. Along the way, she meets the handsome Macklin Scott, taking her mission, and possibly her future, on a far different course than expected.

My Thoughts

The Novella Collection provides a fascinating backstory for the characters we first met in Beltany. The Quinn heritage, awash in Irish folklore, comes to life through Bressa, Dervla, and Phoebe. The injustice of the historic times in which the women lived will make your blood boil, but the golden thread holding it all together is the heritage and the importance of what the Quinn family guards.

Dervla’s story is especially violent and upsetting, as she comes very close to sexual assault.

The author continues to build the world of the Quinns with beautiful descriptive narrative, engaging characters, and lovely language.

Author Bio

Valerie Biel writes award-winning books for middle grade to adult audiences–stories inspired by her travels and her insatiable curiosity. Her young adult fantasy series, Circle of Nine, was inspired by the myth and magic of Ireland’s ancient stone circles. She’s also the author of HAVEN, a contemporary middle grade novel, and BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATE, a mystery suspense story. She’s a founding member of the Blackbird Writers & a member of Sisters in Crime & the Wisconsin Writers Association. When she’s away from the computer, she’s likely wrangling her overgrown garden, reading multiple books per week, or traveling the world–often on trips for the The World Orphan Fund charity she and her husband run. She calls a (tiny) portion of her family’s century-old Wisconsin farm home, but regularly dreams of finding a cozy cottage on the Irish coast where she can write and write.

Catch Up With Valerie Biel:

ValerieBiel.com
Valerie’s Substack Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @valerie_biel
BookBub – @ValerieBiel
Instagram – @valeriebielauthor
Threads – @valeriebielauthor
X – @ValerieBiel
Facebook – @ValerieBielBooks
YouTube – @ValerieBielAuthor
Pinterest – @ValerieBiel

Cozy, Historical, Magical

The Italian Secret by Tara Moss

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

An old family secret leads from the streets of Sydney to Italy’s sun-drenched Neapolitan coast, in this immersive historical mystery from #1 international bestselling author Tara Moss

Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a journey to begin a new life far from home.

Naples, 1943. A woman shelters underground from a wartime air raid, praying her husband will return home. 

Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, uncovers a dusty box in her father’s old office whose contents—correspondence with a woman on the other side of the world—just might explain how they all are connected. 

Plunged into a perilous search that will take her onto the first postwar luxury passenger ship to sail across the ocean to Italy, Billie finds herself up against a dangerous adversary—someone with a mysterious grudge against her family—as she races to uncover the secrets her father left behind. And as the trail leads her towards two women whose histories may be entwined with her own, she realizes that her father’s Italian secret just might upend everything she thought she knew.

My Thoughts

I need to pay more attention to determining if books new to me are part of series, which is the case here. The author has written multiple series, with this one being the 3rd in the Billie Walker series. I always appreciate the subtle ways a series author seeds the early chapters with bits of information from previous books. Moss does that here, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Despite feeling lost at a few different places, the story here hangs together pretty well, although it takes some time to connect the angry little boy at the beginning with the full story.

I liked Billie and other recurring characters well enough that I will seek out the earlier entries in the series and also try some of Moss’ other work. She writes very well, balancing dialog and description with decent character and plot development.

Recommended for fans of historical mysteries with a bit of romance.

Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Published By: Dutton
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Detective, Mystery, New Releases, Scottish, Suspense, United Kingdom

Silent Bones by Val McDermid

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The new installment in the “relentlessly engrossing series” (Wall Street Journal) finds Karen Pirie and her team investigating the murder of a journalist paved under a motorway—but was it his work or his private life that put him there? 

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.

My Thoughts

Val McDermid is one of the very best crime fiction authors writing today and with Silent Bones she has produced another intricate, brilliant story. I was late to the Karen Pirie series, but have recently gobbled up every one of them. I so enjoy McDermid’s chatty, real style with delivering dialog and her ability to weave a plot with multiple strands that are all resolved by the end.

The story here is fascinating and somewhat tragic. The Sam Nimmo story is very sad, and the drive exhibited by Pirie’s team to solve this cold case mystery is gripping. The secondary plot involving what is supposed to be a book club is also fascinating, although I twigged that plot resolution pretty early on. Who knew a book club membership could be so hazardous?!

If you haven’t read the Karen Pirie series, you can drop into this one and still follow the plot, but I recommend reading them all.

Recommended.

Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Published By: Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Crime
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Book Tour, Fantasy, Magical, Mythology, Partners In Crime

Beltany by Valerie Biel

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Circle of Nine Series Virtual Book Tour 1 – October 27-December 31

Description


Brigit Quinn has always felt like an outsider. Growing up in a small town where her mom’s pagan practices are the stuff of local gossip, she’s spent her whole life trying to be normal. On her 15th birthday, Brigit makes the same wish she always has—to just fit in. But the universe has other plans.

Instead, Brigit discovers she’s descended from a legendary Celtic tribe—guardians of Ireland’s mystical stone circles. A spellbound book reveals her astonishing family history and the incredible abilities of her ancestors—powers she’ll inherit if she chooses to embrace them.

When an ancient evil resurfaces, threatening her family’s legacy, Brigit is forced to quickly make this impossible decision. Will she accept her magical heritage and fight to protect it? Or reject it to live the “normal” life she’s always wanted?

This thrilling mix of magic, self-discovery, and Irish mythology will captivate fans of coming-of-age stories with a mystical twist. Lovers of ancient legends, enchanted stone circles, and family secrets will be drawn to Brigit’s journey into a world where her true power could be her greatest strength… or her downfall.

My Thoughts

First in a series of four books, Beltany introduces readers to an unusual and appealing clan of magical women. The author skillfully develops the ancient story of the Quinn women through the powerful coming-of-age time of Bridget.

The coming of age of a young woman possessed of powerful magic isn’t new to fans of fantasy and folklore, but Biel does a wonderful job of blending modern teenage life with ancient tradition. Bridget acts like a regular teen while she begins to unravel the mystery of her family. She’s a bit of a brat, but Biel spins a captivating story that shows us how Bridget grows, learns, and matures into her power. Biel writes a compelling narrative about mothers and daughters, which is an added layer to the book.

Beltany is a powerful beginning to an un-put-downable series that will appeal to fans of fantasy, romantasy, and historical fiction with a fantasy bent. The family dynamics here set the stage for the next books in the series, which I devoured over the course of a few days. Watch for those posts later in December.

Author Bio

Valerie Biel writes award-winning books for middle grade to adult audiences–stories inspired by her travels and her insatiable curiosity. Her young adult fantasy series, Circle of Nine, was inspired by the myth and magic of Ireland’s ancient stone circles. She’s also the author of HAVEN, a contemporary middle grade novel, and BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATE, a mystery suspense story. She’s a founding member of the Blackbird Writers & a member of Sisters in Crime & the Wisconsin Writers Association. When she’s away from the computer, she’s likely wrangling her overgrown garden, reading multiple books per week, or traveling the world–often on trips for the The World Orphan Fund charity she and her husband run. She calls a (tiny) portion of her family’s century-old Wisconsin farm home, but regularly dreams of finding a cozy cottage on the Irish coast where she can write and write.

Catch Up With Valerie Biel:

ValerieBiel.com
Valerie’s Substack Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @valerie_biel
BookBub – @ValerieBiel
Instagram – @valeriebielauthor
Threads – @valeriebielauthor
X – @ValerieBiel
Facebook – @ValerieBielBooks
YouTube – @ValerieBielAuthor
Pinterest – @ValerieBiel

Find CIRCLE OF NINE: BELTANY on Amazon | KindleUnlimited | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub

Click here to read an excerpt!

Praise for Circle of Nine: Beltany

“This was a truly beautiful read. Valerie Biel has a captivating, almost lyrical quality to her work that helps the flow and the smoothness of the piece wonderfully. You can just feel the words slide along as you read and it’s a remarkable experience. I enjoyed her storytelling as much as I enjoyed the characters and the plot! Circle of Nine: Beltany is a wonderful blend of present and past, mixed with a healthy dose of Celtic mythology to captivate the brainiacs among us.”
~ FIVE STARS from Readers’ Favorite for CIRCLE OF NINE: BELTANY

Book Tour, Cozy, Mystery, Partners In Crime

Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour November 3 – 28, 2025

It’s Christmas. It’s cozy. It’s culinary. It’s chaos! It’s the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

Description

Have yourself a merry little . . . murder?

Ricki James-Diaz gets the best present ever when her parents arrive in New Orleans for the holidays. Not only is it a chance to catch up, it’s also an opportunity to jog her mom Josepha’s memory about Ricki’s adoption. The details have always been shrouded in mystery, and Ricki understands why when she learns her mother was blackmailed for years, simply for not wanting to lose her precious daughter.

But digging into the past soon lands the James-Diaz clan in water hotter than a big pot of gumbo! When the woman who extorted Ricki’s mom is found dead at her home, Josepha becomes the primary suspect. Now Ricki has another murder to solve, and tracking down a killer in Crescent City is going to take a miracle.

Luckily, ‘tis the season! And Ricki has all the staff at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum on hand to help. Can she prove her mother’s innocence and have the case wrapped up in time for Christmas?

My Thoughts

I’ve read past entries in Byron’s Vintage Cookbook Mystery series so had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I found exactly that with a delightfully presented cozy mystery that includes Christmastime in New Orleans, preparations for Mardi Gras Krewes, lots of delicious food, and of course a whole raft of human shenanigans!

This is one of the cozy series I return to again and again and recommend to other readers constantly. The story is fun as well as suspenseful, with characters who pop off the page. If you have any familiarity with the New Orleans food scene, you’ll recognize some familiar characters who may or may not be based on real people.

Byron is equally skilled at narrative description and dialog, setting scenes that build tension up to the final, white-knuckle final scene. That said, there’s a lot going on here – Ricki’s adoption, Josepha’s extortion, Phyllis’ murder, Olivia’s Krewe Queen situation, Patrick’s temper and mysterious disappearances, and, finally, Mr. Bongle’s thefts. While it’s a lot to keep track of, I found that all of the varied plot lines made me feel that nerve-jangling feeling you get when the holidays are coming and you are NOT ready. If the author intended that, she 100% succeeded!

As I said earlier, this is a series I keep recommending and will continue to do so. It’s fun, clever, and very well-written. While part of a series, this can be read on its own.

Author Bio

Ellen Byron is a USA Today bestselling author and recipient of multiple Agatha (Best Contemporary Novel) and Lefty (Best Humorous Mystery) awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries (published by Crooked Lane), Vintage Cookbook Mysteries (Berkley and Severn House), Catering Hall Mysteries (Kensington, as Maria DiRico) and Golden Motel Mysteries (Kensington). She is also an Anthony Award nominee and an award-winning playwright.

Byron spent twenty-five years writing TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, plus pilots for all the major networks, before segueing into writing humorous mysteries. She blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and serves on the national board of Mystery Writers of America. But she’ll always consider her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for the iconic Martha Stewart.

A native New Yorker, Byron is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups.

Book Details

Genre: Culinary Cozy Mystery
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Number of Pages: 240 (HC)
ISBN: 9781448313181 (ISBN10: 144831318X) (HC)
Series: A Vintage Cookbook Mystery, 4

Book Trailer


Shortlinks

Author Links: 

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Amazon Author https://pictbooks.tours/bFM5xQuS
Goodreads https://pictbooks.tours/rw22rlqv
BookBub https://pictbooks.tours/Q59X9FPq @EllenByron
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Apple Books – https://pictbooks.tours/wqaeEdos
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Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series

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Tour Links

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Severn House

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Book Tour, Cozy, Family, Mystery, Partners In Crime

The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour October 20 – November 14

Description

An abandoned estate encased in stagnant darkness . . .
A haunting legacy intent on silencing all within reach . . .

In 1890, the ominous tolling of the bell announces that death has come to Traeger Hall, leaving orphaned Waverly Pembrooke to piece together the puzzle behind her uncle’s and aunt’s murders. Bound by the terms of her uncle’s eccentric will, Waverly finds herself alone in a manor shrouded by death and questioning the reasons for her uncle’s paranoia. A madness hovers over Traeger Hall, and Waverly–as well as the people of nearby Newton Creek–are ill-prepared for the woe that has descended.

In present day Newton Creek, whispers of a family curse still cling to the century-old, abandoned property of Traeger Hall. When Jennie Phillips takes possession of the estate after her mother’s passing, she is intent on solving the mystery of the Traeger murders. Yet a modern cold case suggests that untimely deaths and mysterious occurrences still plague the property. And as thorny truths surface, Jennie realizes the dark legacy threatens not only the town and the Traeger descendants . . . but also, chillingly, Jennie herself.

My Thoughts

From the first page, I was transported back to my teenage reading years when I devoured gothic romance novels by Barbara Michaels, Phyllis Whitney, Velda Johnston, and many others. Jaime Jo Wright successfully updates all the tropes from those earlier books and delivers a fresh, well-plotted mystery that spans two lifetimes.

I’ve read Wright’s earlier books and enjoyed them very much, but she rises to a new level here. The character development is remarkable, considering Waverly’s story takes place over just a few days. In that short time, Wright creates a character who grows from a sheltered, confused child to a resourceful, determined woman almost overnight.

Our present day protagonist, Jennie, dives into the mystery at Traeger Hall full force and discovers answers and (yes!) a treasure hidden for over a century. She drives this story forward as she untangles all the threads related to the Hall.

Through it all is the Bell (and I capitalize it because it seemed like another character in the story!). Bells were used in past centuries to announce major events like marriages, births, death, and danger. Wright uses the imagery beautifully in both centuries.

Fans of gothic mysteries will burn through this one in a few hours, it’s that good.

Author Bio

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of thirteen novels, including Christy Award-winner and ECPA bestseller The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill, and Carol Award-winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. Jaime has also written two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. She lives in Wisconsin with her family and fabulous felines.

Book Details

Genre: Dual Timeline Gothic Suspense
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780764243806, paperback

Shortlinks

Author Links:  

Website https://pictbooks.tours/sMjXSuVD
Amazon Author https://pictbooks.tours/gXQs53lW
Goodreads https://pictbooks.tours/kDHrwl4k @JaimeJoWright
BookBub https://pictbooks.tours/hHRXd4wx @JaimeJoWright
Instagram https://pictbooks.tours/qKK50oIb @JaimeJoWright
Threads https://pictbooks.tours/W0hWLWT7 @JaimeJoWright
YouTube – MadLit Musings https://pictbooks.tours/zyGkCqNP @madlitmusings
Spotify – MadLit Musings https://pictbooks.tours/oOQvV8tp

Retail Links:

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/vpH49Zzr
BN – https://pictbooks.tours/Urjohrib
Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/qZSe3UMJ
BookShop.org – https://pictbooks.tours/9GVGqAoL
Baker Book House – https://pictbooks.tours/xHyg41sP
BookBub – https://pictbooks.tours/qWJIjg7E

Tour Links: 

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Publisher — Bethany House Publishers
Instagram @baker_book_house @bethanyhousefiction
Twitter @bakerbookstore @bethany_house
Facebook @bakerbookhouse @bethanyhousepublishers

Catch Up With Jaime Jo Wright:

JaimeWrightBooks.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @JaimeJoWright
BookBub – @JaimeJoWright
Instagram – @JaimeJoWright
Threads – @JaimeJoWright
YouTube – MadLit Musings
Spotify – MadLit Musings

Book Tour, Mystery, Partners In Crime, Suspense

The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour October 20 – November 28, 2025

Description

Emily Grace has endured the worst loss imaginable. But can she survive a remote manor haunted by more than just memories . . .?

Drowning in grief, Emily Grace has lost everything: her home, her friends, her career. Only one lifeline remains—a job working for an eccentric millionaire. Along with his wife, he’s been building a mansion on a secluded island surrounded by a harsh and unforgiving sea. But when the wife disappears under mysterious circumstances, Emily Grace is hired to finish the project.

Locals believe the house is cursed, but their warnings go unheeded as Emily Grace works to rebuild her life. After what she’s been through, nothing can scare her—except perhaps the attention of a handsome man offering more than friendship. And yet, there’s something strange about this solitary fortress. Accidents. Mishaps. Ghostly whispers through the surrounding forest, footsteps when she’s completely alone . . .

Is there truly a curse or is the ethereal specter in the window an omen of something more sinister?

This spooky standalone from phenomenal crime author Elena Taylor will have readers sleeping with the light on for weeks! With vibes of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, fans of Riley Sager and thrillers with light horror elements will love The Haunting of Emily Grace!

My Thoughts

I adore an atmospheric, spooky, well-plotted mystery read on a stormy night and Elena Taylor delivered that in spades with this one! From the first page to the last, I was turning pages late into the night just to find out what happened next.

The character development, particularly the reveal of Emily Grace’s personal tragedy, is paced beautifully and enhances the overall storyline of the missing wife and mysterious incidents on the island.

I was constantly questioning who Emily Grace should trust, what she should or shouldn’t do. The author strings you along, offering bits and pieces of hints, through to a powerful conclusion.

I had some Paula Hawkins vibes throughout, and fans of atmospheric, haunting mysteries will throughly enjoy this one.

Author Bio

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to novels. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.

With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returned to her dramatic roots to bring readers more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community. The third in the series, Kill to Keep, launches summer 2026.

The Haunting of Emily Grace is Elena’s first standalone suspense novel.

Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she lives on south of Spokane, Washington, with her equines, dogs, cats, and hubby.

Book Details

Genre: Suspense with a touch of light paranormal/horror 
Published by:  Severn House
Publication Date:  November 4, 2025
Number of Pages:  288 pages, Hardcover
ISBN:  9781448317370 (ISBN10: 1448317371), Hardcover

Shortlinks

Author Links:  

Website https://pictbooks.tours/ka9qu
Amazon Author https://pictbooks.tours/4pqqb
Goodreads https://pictbooks.tours/jnN99
BookBub https://pictbooks.tours/frUri @elenataylorauthor
Instagram https://pictbooks.tours/IgYKG @ElenaTaylorAuthor
Twitter https://pictbooks.tours/DYlt9 @Elena_TaylorAut
Facebook https://pictbooks.tours/FMtlI @elenataylorauthor
BlueSky https://pictbooks.tours/YVtBiDKt ‪@elenataylorauthor.bsky.social‬
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Blog https://pictbooks.tours/0DC2IC56

Book Links:

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Publisher – Severn House

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Book Trailer:
 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HuWMJs32S2w?si=3dRtSSqty5hU0Bqb

Magical, Mystery, New Releases, Suspense

The Book of Autumn by Molly O’Sullivan

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Try as she might, anthropologist Marcella Gibbons can’t escape the fact that she’s a dimidium, one half of a formidable pair of Magicians, forever tied together to enable the other’s powers. After a tumultuous final year at Seinford and Brown College of Agriculture (and Magic) in rural New Mexico, Cella felt more than a little uneasy about returning to the sun-drenched desert campus ever again. She’d cut ties with her other half—the charming and rugged rancher Max Middlemore—and sworn off Magic, academia, and heartache for good.

Until Max turns up at her door, grinning under his cowboy hat for one last favor. Something is shifting at her alma mater, something bigger than anyone understands. One student is dead. Another is floating midair in the infirmary, growling guttural nonsense and terrifying the staff. Their best, perhaps only, chance to intervene requires Cella and Max to work together. But the origins of the disturbances lie centuries ago. To unravel them, Cella will have to confront the truth about her past—and Max. Because she might be challenging a power she could never rival alone.

My Thoughts

As I read the first chapter, I found myself thinking “oh, this is another magic school derivative. Boring.” That notion, however, was immediately removed from my mind when I got to The Girl chapter. That scene made me sit up and take notice that THIS book was something different. To be sure, there are traces of other dark academia books throughout, but this story is something special. I was especially taken with the unexpected direction of the cult at the end.

I love the concept of dimidiums – two people whose magic can only work through each other – and Cella and Max are a prickly pairing. I often find a magical book based on solid world-building and a great magic system works best and O’Sullivan has done some of the best of that I’ve seen in recent years. The writing is hip and witty, but also quite emotional at times, and some of the characters pop off the page.

While a bit slow to start, fans of magical worlds and magicians will thoroughly enjoy this one.

For readers of Adrienne Young, Olivie Blake, Erin Sterling, Hazel Beck, and Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, a spellbinding debut about ambition, privilege, second chance romance, and ancient magic set at an enchanted school tucked among the red mesas of rural New Mexico, where a formidable pair of magicians are summoned to pursue an alleged killer.

*A Publishers Marketplace BUZZ BOOKS Selection*

Publication Date: October 28, 2025
Published By: Kensington Publishing
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Book Tour, Mystery, Partners In Crime, Psychological, Suspense

Maximum Pressure by Sheila Lowe

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour – October 6 – 31

A Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting Mystery Series

Description

Old grudges die hard—some never die at all

Forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose never expected much from her high school reunion, just the usual mix of mean girls, jocks, nerds, and bullies. But when she stumbles upon the lifeless body of someone she knew, the night takes a deadly turn. As secrets resurface and old rivalries ignite, Claudia finds herself caught in a dangerous game where the past is more than just a memory—it’s a motive for murder.

My Thoughts

This book gave me lots of connective vibes – Pretty Little Liars, Sarah Michelle Gellar (who should totally play Claudia if this series is ever adapted for the screen), and even Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion’s mean girls. All of that is incidental, though, to a killer plot held together by some well-developed and intriguing characters.

High school reunions can be fraught with tension, old fears and grudges, and buried secrets. But, people change as they mature and none of Claudia’s old school friends counted on her becoming a forensic handwriting expert and someone who unravels mysteries for a living. Big mistake!

Those old secrets are bound to resurface, especially when a missing person is involved. Old friends want answers, while some of them want to keep those answers buried.

While the mean girl trope is prevalent here, it’s folded into a more intricate story about old friendships, loves, and all that drama usually left behind in high school.

Lowe does a great job of telling the story – stringing you along to the final, pulse-pounding conclusion. This is a new series for me but one I will surely follow. Lowe has created a likable, smart, and engaging main character in Claudia Rose, and I would really love to see this adapted for television. Lowe’s personal experience lends an authenticity to the character which you don’t always see in mysteries.

Recommended.

Book Details

Genre:  Psychological Suspense 
Published by:  Write Choice Ink
Publication Date:  June 2, 2024
Number of Pages: 314
ISBN: 978-1970181487 (print)
Series: A Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting Mystery, #9

Author Bio

Sheila Lowe is a forensic handwriting examiner, author, and educator with over fifty years of experience decoding the written word. Her nonfiction books include Reading Between the Lines: Decoding Handwriting and her memoir, Growing From the Ashes. In the bestselling Forensic Handwriting suspense series, Sheila’s real-world expertise drives unforgettable fiction as she bridges science and mystery with every stroke of the pen. Her Beyond the Veil paranormal suspense series features a woman who talks to dead people.

Catch Up With Sheila Lowe:

SheilaLoweBooks.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @sheilalowe
BookBub – @SheilaLoweBooks
Instagram – @SheilaLoweBooks
Threads – @SheilaLoweBooks
X – @sheila_lowe
Facebook – @SheilaLoweBooks 
YouTube – @SheilaLowe
BlueSky – ‪@sheilalowebooks.bsky.social‬

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Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting Mystery Series

British, Historical, Mystery

Desolation by Keith Moray

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The Black Rood of Scotland, stolen.

A coroner of York, murdered

An evil worse than plague itself, at large…

1361, York. As the country recovers from the war with France, and whispers that the pestilence has returned to England grow louder, fear is in the heart of every nobleman and commoner alike. Sir Ralph de Mandeville, ex-solider and newly appointed Justice of the Peace is sent to Langbarugh, just outside York, to investigate the murder of Coroner Sir Boderick de Whitby.

More deaths quickly follow, and while these are swiftly dealt with as plague victims, Sir Ralph and his two assistants Merek and Peter soon uncover something altogether more horrifying… A greater evil is at large in the northern wapentakes.

As panic escalates and the lines between plague and murder blur, Sir Ralph is thrust into a desperate race against time. Every shadow hides a potential killer, every cough could be a death knell. Can he unmask a murderer lurking in the terrifying shadow of the Black Death before they’re all consumed by a terror more sinister than any plague?

A gruesomely wicked medieval mystery, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Paul Doherty and E. M. Powell.

My Thoughts

Moray offers a twisted story set in England in the dangerous times post-plague when survivors lived in fear of the pestilence returning and good men could be forced to do unspeakable things by persuasive, megalomaniacal evil-doers.

Moray does an excellent job of conveying the sheer terror people felt when faced with the possibility of the pestilence returning. Protecting themselves and what family that remained was paramount, and Moray communicates that very well. However, he also demonstrates the opposite effect of a world-shifting event like the Plague on people who become so used to death that taking a life becomes no big thing. While this is an historical mystery, the author writes a fascinating commentary on how people respond to a terrible, life-changing event.

Fans of historical mysteries will appreciate Moray’s seamlessly blended research with well-developed characters who will make your skin crawl. The story will suck you in right away and keep hold as you plow through the plot because you have to know what happens and who gets their comeuppance. There are some gross descriptions, but overall this is a good one.

Recommended.

Publication Date: October 17, 2025
Published By: Boldwood Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy