Category: Suspense

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, 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

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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
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Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting Mystery Series

Detective, Magical, Mystery, New Releases, Suspense, United Kingdom, Women

A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder by Gigi Pandian

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A vanished body. A deadly bookshop. A country house party full of suspects. Can a living gargoyle and an alchemist decipher the clues before poisoned pages claim another victim?

Dorian Robert-Houdin is used to living his life in the shadows, his existence only known to a few trusted friends. When a dangerous book from his past resurfaces, he follows his closest confidante, alchemist Zoe Faust, from Oregon to England to investigate.

Before he can examine the magical book, Dorian witnesses a murder amidst the foggy lanes of Oxford. But when he takes Zoe to the scene, there’s no body—and no evidence a crime has taken place. Using his unique skills as a gargoyle, Dorian sets out to solve the baffling crime nobody else believes occurred.

When Dorian and Zoe discover a dead man in a bookshop filled with arsenic-laced books, the victim isn’t a stranger—he’s connected to the vanishing crime scene. The trail leads to a country house party where a group of bibliophile suspects have gathered and a storm is brewing. Could the killer be the mercurial Agatha Christie scholar? The prickly literature professor? The secretive rare books expert? With an unscrupulous book thief lurking, can sleuths Dorian and Zoe unmask a murderer before the next page brings them to a perilous end?

A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder is the eagerly awaited new installment in the award-winning cozy fantasy mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian. Perfect for fans of the quirky charm and found family of Only Murders in the Building and books by Ellery Adams and Travis Baldree. 

My Thoughts

Gigi Pandian’s books just keep getting better!

I have been a fan of the Accidental Alchemist series for years so was thrilled to get an early copy of this one. I was not disappointed. My favorite characters are back – Zoe, Max, and of course Dorian! This time, they are in London checking up on Non Degenera Alchemica, the horrible backwards alchemy book that nearly killed Dorian in a previous book.

As Zoe and Co. get more and more involved with the current iteration of the book, the reader is treated to some wonderful storytelling. I also appreciated the added “country house murder” trope part way through the book, which added a comical element to the story given Dorian’s project of writing a handbook on investigating murder. And the surprise twist at the end? Wonderful!

Overall, this is a solid mystery – well-plotted and paced with good descriptive narrative. I do recommend reading the previous books in the series before you open this one, but this could be a stand-alone read and a nice introduction to the series.

Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Published By: Gargoyle Girl Productions
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Detective, Family, Mystery, New Releases, Suspense

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The Killing Stones marks the eagerly awaited return of Ann Cleeves’ beloved detective Jimmy Perez from the Shetland series, and a gripping new investigation with a stunning new setting.

It’s been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie’s body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie’s wife, whom he’s known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man’s relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend’s final days.

My Thoughts

A new Jimmy Perez story? YES PLEASE!

As usual, Cleeves deliver a wonderfully intricate story full of colorful characters, this time set in the Orkney islands versus Shetland. Readers get to know a whole new landscape and set of people, steeped in folklore and emotions.

We are introduced to a new set of characters who are every bit as gritty and real as the folks Perez left behind in Shetland. Plus, we learn more about Perez’ own past and his early relationships. At the core of this one is tragedy and heartbreak, with the theme of family tradition shattered by 21st century technology.

While I had an inkling of the villain about midway, I really didn’t want it to be true. However, this provided a vehicle for Cleeves to write a whole range of emotions for Perez and his friends on Orkney.

I can’t recommend Ann Cleeves’ work enough. She truly is one of the very best authors writing atmospheric, complex crime fiction today. If you haven’t read her books, what are you waiting for??

Superbly done.

Advanced Praise

“Ann Cleeves’s elegance as a wordsmith, the ingenuity of her plots, and the depth of her characters can be matched by few writers. In The Killing Stones she brings back the beloved Jimmy Perez in a tale that highlights the entire spectrum of her formidable talents… This novel is more than worth every minute you spend with it.”—David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The Killing Stones is classic Ann Cleeves: a complex mystery, beloved characters, and a setting so vivid you can feel the chill of wind and rain on your face.”

—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests

Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Published By: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

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

Throwing Shadows by Claire Booth

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour – August 4 – 29, 2025

Description

A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery

When a hiker stumbles from the woods raving about a dead man, Sheriff Hank Worth launches a search. Near the infamous landmark of Murder Rocks – a Civil War era hideout for ambushers who robbed and killed passing travelers – they unearth two bodies and a skeleton.

Local legend says there’s caches of stolen gold buried in the area. And – thanks to some recent nationwide publicity – the Ozark backwoods are now swarming with out-of-town treasure hunters, who have little concern for Hank’s murder investigation. With the clock ticking, Hank must identify the victims . . . and the killer. But could the new pursuit of long-lost plunder really have led to multiple deaths?

My Thoughts

The Hank Worth series is new to me so I did find some of the content which referred to previous books unfamiliar. However, none of that content (and my lack of reference) intrudes on the author’s ability to tell one hell of a story.

For me, the sign of a really, really good author is their ability to write a series that carries a thread throughout but with each entry able to stand on its own. That is accomplished by solid and clever storytelling supported by well-developed and interesting characters. All of that and more is here in Throwing Shadows.

The story which drives the action is fascinating – murder and mayhem on the backroads of the Ozarks during a very dark time in American history, lost gold, and plenty of intrigue coupled with 21st century treasure-hunting and podcasting. This is what kept me reading.

The back stories of the characters, particularly Hank Worth, didn’t really grab me because of my unfamiliarity with the series, but I liked this one well enough that I’ll now go back and read the rest of the series. I’m looking forward to some very enjoyable reading!

Book Details

Genre: Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
Published by: Severn House Publishers
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Number of Pages:  240 
ISBN: 9781448313914 (ISBN10: 1448313910) eBook
Series:A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery, Book 7

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Hank Worth Mystery Series:

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—

Publisher: Severn House

Instagram @severnhouseimprint
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Author Bio

Claire Booth is a former newspaper reporter whose writing career has taken her from Missouri to Washington, D.C., South Florida, the Seattle area, and the Bay Area. She’s reported on many high-profile cases, including the Laci Peterson murder and the San Francisco dog mauling case. The case of a deadly cult leader became the subject of her nonfiction book, The False Prophet: Conspiracy, Extortion and Murder in the Name of God. After spending so much time covering crimes so strange and convoluted they seemed more like fiction than reality, she had enough of the real world and decided to write novels instead. Her acclaimed Sheriff Hank Worth mystery series takes place in Branson, Missouri, where the small-town Ozarks meet big-city country music tourism.

Visit Claire Booth at:

www.ClaireBooth.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram – @claire.booth10
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Facebook – @claireboothauthor
Severn House

Cozy, Mystery, New Releases, Suspense

Sugar and Spite by Carol Perry

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

There’s no place like Salem, Massachusetts—aka “the witch city”—for Halloween. As residents embrace their historic heritage to celebrate the season, WICH-TV program director Lee Barrett is assigned the decadent task of highlighting the village’s delectable sweet shops—only to learn that some revelers prefer deadly tricks over delicious treats . . .

Casa del Chocolate is one of Salem’s most charming boutique candy shops, making it a perfect profile story. Although preoccupied with her own personal sweet news—Lee and her detective husband Pete Mondello are expecting a bundle of joy—she cheerfully agrees to interview the chocolatier. Since becoming pregnant, the radiant and exhilarated mother-to-be has discovered that she is finally free of the unwanted haunting “visions” she has endured since childhood.

Shirley Parker inherited Casa del Chocolate, housed in her beautiful ancestral home on the waterfront, continuing her family’s sweet tradition of conjuring magical treats for the folks of Salem. Mesmerized by the delightful chocolate scented aromas filling the air while touring the kitchen, Lee is shocked when she stumbles upon the murdered body of Barney Bingham, Shirley’s estranged husband.

As the police focus their suspicions on Shirley, Lee learns that many people had reasons for wanting Barney dead. Now, with help from Pete, tarot reader River North, and clairvoyant gentleman cat O’Ryan, as well as some new feline friends, Lee must unmask the true killer—and cope with the sudden return of her troubling “visions”. . .

My Thoughts

I so enjoy Carol Perry’s Witch City series and was delighted to find Perry at the top of her game in this newest entry. Lee and Pete and their Salem crew of friends and co-workers are back in a story that clocks in as a bit more serious and mysterious than some earlier entries. All the familiar faces are there, along with a new set of old acquaintances, one of whom shows up dead early on.

Perry is excellent as playing “cat and mouse” with her readers, and that is surely how I felt while reading this one. I kept going back and forth between two suspects and was truly surprised at the end.

The mystery is clever and well-plotted, the characters by turns charming and provocative. All in all, a winner. If you haven’t read Witch City mysteries, you could read this as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the entire series.

I will say though that the last couple pages really felt a bit like a chapter closing on this series. If that is the case, I hope Perry might consider picking it up again and making Ella Marie the star in a new middle grade series!

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

Action Adventure, Book Tour, Mystery, Partners In Crime, Suspense

The Ignoble Lie by Matthew Peters

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Virtual Book Tour
July 7 – August 1
Of Gods & Men Series

Description

What if the Ark of the Covenant isn’t a reference to the chest containing the Ten Commandments God revealed to Moses atop Mount Sinai?

What if it refers to the contents of a tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh which would revolutionize religious history?

As ex-Jesuit Scott Larson and adventuress Zady Jones learn, such a discovery can be deadly.

A terrorist attack on the Great Pyramid of Giza ratchets up the tension in Washington, D.C., where President John Jenkins has been impeached for an order declaring the U.S. a Judeo-Christian nation. The terrorists threaten more attacks in Egypt and the U.S. unless their demand is met—and it’s something only Larson and Jones can give them.

When the efforts to meet the terrorists’ demand goes awry and Zady’s sister is kidnapped, Larson and Jones race to save her. Along the way, they receive a series of mysterious clues that point to the existence of a shocking historical secret, one that could not only topple Jenkins’ presidency but upend Judeo-Christianity itself.

My Thoughts

I’ve read a good amount of speculative fiction concerning “great secrets” that will forever change Christianity, Democracy, Science, History, and so on. But, it’s rare that I’ve read one based on such an obscure, wild premise as this story (right up there with ‘Jesus was an alien” theories).

Peters does a good job of building tension as the plot moves along. He keeps the characters to a minimum so he’s able to develop them as the story progresses and focus on the core of the plot – what really was in that tomb and what does it mean for Christianity?

I was reminded of early Steve Berry books as I read this, which made me happy. I often enjoy the first books in a series more because they are surprising and unexpected. Once a series progresses, the reader begins to predict what will happen as they become more familiar with the author and characters. There’s a delicious element of surprise in Peters’ narrative, supported by tightly crafted narrative and dialog, all leading up to the explosive conclusion.

Recommended for fans of Steve Berry, Clive Cussler, and James Rollins.

Author Bio

Matthew Peters has a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.A., and Ph.D. from Duke University. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and currently resides in North Carolina. He is passionate about exploring religious, political, and socioeconomic issues from a variety of different perspectives and especially values the views put forth by marginalized groups or people. His writing involves a good deal of research, and he is committed to writing plausible novels, in the hope of giving readers food for thought.

Book Details

Genre: Political/Religious thriller
Published by: Mélange Books
Publication Date: May 12, 2025
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 979-8886533712 (print)
Series: Of Gods & Men, Book 1

Shortlinks

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PUBLISHER: Mélange Books 

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Ghosties, Mystery, New Releases, paranormal, Psychological, Spooky Season, Suspense, Women

Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

When a mysterious figure shows up in the photograph an architect takes of the derelict Seabrink Hotel, ghostly encounters and murder are unleashed.

Aubrey Spencer loves photographing classic old buildings and abandoned places that hold old secrets. The Hotel Seabrink, perched overlooking the sea, is one such place. Currently abandoned but scheduled for a major renovation, it has a torrid history. Back in the 1920s it hosted A-list celebrity clientele, and now the locals insist it is haunted by the ghosts of two young women who died there. When Aubrey goes to photograph the site before the renovation begins, she bumps into a man named Dimitri Petroff, a minor online celebrity who shares her fascination with old buildings, the Hotel Seabrink in particular.

When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to close the investigation. But Aubrey feels unsettled by locals who claim he was murdered and that it’s not the first time someone interested in the hotel was killed. As she digs deeper into the property’s dark history (and its origins as an asylum) as well as Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case.  But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost.

My Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Juliet Blackwell’s books for a long time, beginning with her Lily Ivory series and expanding into her later forays in longer fiction. I confess, I was very disappointed to hear that the Lily Ivory series has sunsetted, but if giving up the LI series means Blackwell has time to write mysteries like this absolute STAR of a book, I’m good!

Turns out Blackwell’s earlier writing might have been practice for this full-blown mysterious, scary, imaginative story.

Everything here works seamlessly to deliver a taut, suspenseful, and very well written paranormal mystery. It’s just the right amount of scary blended with a well-plotted mystery, resulting in a startling and very satisfying conclusion. Blackwell steps into the circle with authors like Simone St. James and Sarah Rayne, delivering a story that will keep you turning pages, albeit with all the lights on.

So well done!

Publication Date: July 29, 2025
Published By: Berkley Publishing Group
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copy