Tag: fiction mystery

Monthly Features – September 2026

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

The Confessor: A Logan Hollister Novel by Noah Christopher

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: A killer is making Los Angeles confess.

The Confessor is never wrong. He has built his whole life around being sure of it.

He chooses people who got away with it — never charged, never even suspected. The charity director who gutted his own foundation. The smiling influencer who built an empire on a lie.

He sits them down alone with a pen and a yellow legal pad, and waits as long as it takes for the truth in their own hand.

Then he balances the account.

The confessions are real. But on paper, nothing connects the victims — separate lives, separate crimes, no thread that should tie one death to the next.

Detective Logan Hollister has every reason to stay out of it. The money came a long time ago; the house is an hour down the coast, the kind of quiet other men spend their whole lives chasing. Logan can only tolerate it in small batches before he wants back in. He keeps the badge, works the cases that still mean something, and this is the one he can’t walk away from.

On the surface, he and the man he’s hunting are opposites. One has everything a life can hold. The other spent years making himself into no one at all.

But the bodies keep coming, and the difference between them keeps thinning — until Logan can’t always tell whether he’s hunting the man or recognizing him.

Summary: The Confessor is a smart, fast-moving crime thriller about an LAPD detective hunting a killer who forces seemingly respectable people to confess the ugly truths they have been hiding. The alternating perspectives make the cat-and-mouse element especially fun, while Logan’s secret life as the owner of an investigative news site adds a genuinely interesting complication. Readers who like police procedurals, serial killer thrillers, morally complicated villains, clever detective work, strong partner banter and contemporary Los Angeles settings may enjoy this book. 

See the full review here: The Confessor
Purchase here

 

Crossingsbrook Georgians by L. Gale

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: In Crossingsbrook Georgians: the crossingsbrook series prequel, the back-story is told to the series, explaining how the Reverend and Clara James met, how Dr. Walton and Lady Greenfield met, the impacts of war and loss on Victor’s youth and young adulthood, the childhood friendship of Beatrice and Clara, and Beatrice’s experiences raising children that were not hers by birth. Also featured is a romantic episode between a freed slave and a free-born individual. Readers discover some of the better medical treatments available at the turn of the 19th Century, and the psychological impact that astronomical events may have had on ordinary individuals, if only by the power of suggestion. This novella fills in seventeen years, or nearly a generation, of the early lives of some of the key Crossingsbrook villagers, and introduces others who will have larger roles to play later in the series. All is told against a backdrop of the impacts of technology, legislation and cultural developments in Britain of the time.

Summary: Crossingsbrook Georgians is a gentle, character driven Georgian historical novel that follows several interconnected families in the village of Crossingsbrook beginning in the late 1790s. There’s romance, family life, grief, village gossip, religion, old family rivalries and a surprising amount of everyday historical detail. Readers who enjoy gentle, character driven historical fiction where the pleasure comes from spending time in a community and watching relationships develop over years, rather than racing through a single dramatic plot may enjoy this book.

See the full review here: Crossingsbrook Georgians
Purchase here

 

Death in Utopia by Phillip Vega

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: An idyllic paradise. A deadly secret. A detective who can’t escape the past.

When Detective Karen Skaryd and her husband arrive at a luxurious Caribbean resort to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they expect sun, relaxation, and romance. But when a prominent guest drops dead in the middle of lunch—with a cryptic biblical message left behind—Karen is thrust into a web of lies, power, and murder.

As she navigates law enforcement politics, elusive suspects, and a retired senator with secrets of his own, Karen soon realizes that this case may be tied to something much darker than she ever imagined. With danger lurking in paradise, she must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Because in Utopia, nothing is what it seems.

Summary: This is a vacation mystery that gradually turns into something much bigger. Readers who like amateur-out-of-necessity investigations, police procedurals, tropical destination mysteries, married protagonists, large suspect pools, serial-killer elements and mysteries that continue into a larger series may enjoy this one.

See the full review here: Death in Utopia
Purchase here

 

The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming by Aroya Wallace

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming What does it mean to become?

Perhaps becoming is not the journey toward someone new, but the quiet return to who we have always been.

The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming is an illuminated Songbook of poetry, music, and art exploring ancient memory, sacred love, creative imagination, spiritual awakening, and return.

Across seven lyrical movements, these Songs of Becoming journey from the first spark of creation, through forgetting, longing, love, remembrance, and transformation, before returning once more to the quiet landscape of the human heart.

More than a book

This beautifully illustrated hardcover was created as a companion to the recorded album by Aroya Wallace, available on major music streaming platforms.

Each song is accompanied by richly illuminated artwork, inviting readers to pause, reflect, and linger. Whether experienced as poetry, music, or both together, every page offers another doorway into wonder.

Inside you’ll discover

• Seven original illuminated songs

• Full-color companion artwork throughout

• Mystical and inspirational poetry

• Themes of memory, love, imagination, and becoming

• A keepsake edition created for slow, contemplative reading

Perfect for readers who enjoy

• Illuminated poetry

• Mystical literature

• Inspirational verse

• Beautiful gift books

• Sacred art

• Thoughtful reflection

Approach softly.

Listen deeply.

And perhaps remember something beautiful that has always lived within you.

Summary: The Crowned Flame feels more like an experience than a conventional poetry book. There is a surprisingly clear progression underneath all of the dreamlike imagery, moving from separation and forgetting into self-discovery, love, healing, and return. I think it works best when you don’t try too hard to decode every symbol and instead allow the imagery and ideas to wash over you a little. It is unusual, very earnest, and visually beautiful, and I can see it really connecting with readers who already enjoy poetry that has a mystical or meditative quality especially those who enjoy spiritual or metaphysical poetry, mythology and symbolism, visually beautiful books, meditative writing, fantasy-inspired imagery, and poetry collections that tell a larger story across individual pieces.

See the full review here: The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming
Purchase here

 

Review: Death in Utopia by Phillip Vega

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

An idyllic paradise. A deadly secret. A detective who can’t escape the past.

When Detective Karen Skaryd and her husband arrive at a luxurious Caribbean resort to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they expect sun, relaxation, and romance. But when a prominent guest drops dead in the middle of lunch—with a cryptic biblical message left behind—Karen is thrust into a web of lies, power, and murder.

As she navigates law enforcement politics, elusive suspects, and a retired senator with secrets of his own, Karen soon realizes that this case may be tied to something much darker than she ever imagined. With danger lurking in paradise, she must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Because in Utopia, nothing is what it seems.

Favorite Lines:

“Honey, never forget—a keen mind will always be your best tool.”

“Panicking won’t help. We simply stick to the facts and let them chase the shadows.”

“You can’t come to the Dominican Republic and not eat your weight in food.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Death in Utopia has a setup I’m almost always going to enjoy: a detective goes on vacation, fully intending not to be a detective, and then someone dies. Karen Skaryd and her husband Brock are in Punta Cana celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary while also attending an international rose society event, thanks to Brock’s very serious interest in growing roses. The resort is beautiful, the drinks are flowing, there are plenty of eccentric personalities around, and then one particularly unpleasant member of the rose society suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances. Karen may technically be off duty and very much outside her jurisdiction, but there is basically no chance she is going to ignore what she sees.

Karen was probably my favorite part of the book. She is observant, stubborn, experienced, and constantly slipping into what Brock calls her “detective eyes,” even when she is supposed to be relaxing. Their marriage also gives the story a nice grounding point. They have been together long enough that their conversations feel comfortable and familiar, with the kind of teasing and minor irritation that makes them seem like an actual married couple rather than two characters who exist only to move the mystery forward. Brock is also more than just the spouse waiting back at the hotel while Karen investigates. His rose obsession is what brings them into this particular group of people in the first place, and their relationship helps keep the story lighter even as the situation around them becomes increasingly dangerous.

The mystery itself gets much bigger than the first death suggests. There are biblical messages, a growing list of people who may or may not be telling the truth, suspicious resort employees and guests, international law enforcement complications, and someone who seems very interested in making sure Karen knows she is being watched. I liked that the book gives you a lot of possible directions to look without making every suspicious person feel like an obvious red herring. Karen is also at a disadvantage because she has no real authority in the Dominican Republic, which leads to some friction with Inspector Montenegro. She wants to investigate the way she normally would, while he is understandably not thrilled about an American detective inserting herself into his case.

The tropical setting is a fun contrast to the darker material. One minute Karen and Brock are surrounded by ocean views, elaborate floral displays, resort restaurants and a competitive group of rosarians, and the next Karen is looking at a crime scene or following someone through a crowded tourist area. The book also has a fairly large supporting cast, including Montenegro, Wolfram, Alvarez and a number of resort guests and staff, so there is usually another relationship or secret being introduced as the investigation progresses. At times there is a lot happening, especially once the mystery expands beyond the resort itself, but that also keeps the story moving and gives it more of an adventure-thriller feel than a quiet traditional whodunit.

What surprised me most is that Death in Utopia doesn’t really wrap itself up like a completely self-contained vacation mystery. The immediate investigation builds toward a much larger threat, and the opening scene makes more sense once you see where the story is headed. I think readers who enjoy series mysteries will probably appreciate that more than readers looking for everything to be neatly tied up by the final page. This feels very deliberately like the beginning of Karen Skaryd’s story, with her family life, police career and a particularly dangerous adversary all positioned to continue into future books. There are some darker moments along the way, but the overall reading experience still feels accessible and entertaining rather than grim. I am excited to see where Vega takes Karen’s story next!

Summary:

Overall, this is a vacation mystery that gradually turns into something much bigger. Readers who like amateur-out-of-necessity investigations, police procedurals, tropical destination mysteries, married protagonists, large suspect pools, serial-killer elements and mysteries that continue into a larger series may enjoy this one. Happy reading!

Check out Death in Utopia here!

 

Review: The Confessor: A Logan Hollister Novel by Noah Christopher

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

A killer is making Los Angeles confess.

The Confessor is never wrong. He has built his whole life around being sure of it.

He chooses people who got away with it — never charged, never even suspected. The charity director who gutted his own foundation. The smiling influencer who built an empire on a lie.

He sits them down alone with a pen and a yellow legal pad, and waits as long as it takes for the truth in their own hand.

Then he balances the account.

The confessions are real. But on paper, nothing connects the victims — separate lives, separate crimes, no thread that should tie one death to the next.

Detective Logan Hollister has every reason to stay out of it. The money came a long time ago; the house is an hour down the coast, the kind of quiet other men spend their whole lives chasing. Logan can only tolerate it in small batches before he wants back in. He keeps the badge, works the cases that still mean something, and this is the one he can’t walk away from.

On the surface, he and the man he’s hunting are opposites. One has everything a life can hold. The other spent years making himself into no one at all.

But the bodies keep coming, and the difference between them keeps thinning — until Logan can’t always tell whether he’s hunting the man or recognizing him.

Favorite Lines:

“Everybody with a secret and a blazer had done a TED talk.”

“The truth had to come on its own, the way water finds its level.”

“The days of chasing a ghost were gone. Now he was hunting a man, and the hunt was drawing close.”

“Some part of him, far down, mistook a train leaving its rails for the feeling of being free.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Confessor starts with a killer who doesn’t simply want his victims dead. He wants them to admit what they’ve done first. His targets are people hiding behind carefully constructed public images, and he does an unsettling amount of homework before confronting them with the truth. The opening, involving a respected charity figure and some very questionable finances, immediately establishes what makes this killer interesting: there’s a twisted logic behind what he’s doing. He doesn’t see himself as indiscriminately violent. In his mind, he’s exposing people who deserve to be exposed. That makes the moral line running through the book considerably messier than your standard serial killer thriller.

On the other side of the story is LAPD detective Logan Hollister, who is probably the biggest reason I enjoyed this as much as I did. Logan has money, a Tesla, a house in Laguna Beach, and enough independence within the department to operate a little differently than everyone else, but he also seems almost incapable of actually enjoying the quiet life he has built for himself. Los Angeles and the work keep pulling him back. His partnership with Curt Alton gives the book some much needed humor and personality, especially because Curt is one of the few people who seems completely unimpressed by Logan being Logan. Their dialogue feels easy and lived in, and I liked their relationship almost as much as the investigation itself.

There is also more going on with Logan than the other characters realize. He secretly owns WLTLH, an investigative news site that has grown far beyond the little local operation he originally created. That becomes much more than an interesting character detail once The Confessor and WLTLH begin brushing up against each other. Logan suddenly has access to information as a journalist that he cannot exactly walk into the police department and explain without exposing a huge part of his life. I thought this was one of the more original pieces of the book because it gives him two different ways of hunting for the truth, while also creating a pretty significant problem when those two identities collide.

The story alternates between Logan’s investigation and The Confessor himself, so this isn’t really a mystery where you spend the entire book trying to guess what the killer is doing. A lot of the tension comes from watching both sides work and wondering when their paths are finally going to meet. The Confessor studies people with almost obsessive patience, while Logan is similarly good at noticing the tiny details other people overlook. That parallel makes them feel strangely well matched. The book also has a very strong sense of Los Angeles, moving between expensive Westside shops, diners, churches, freeways, ordinary neighborhoods and Logan’s quieter life down in Laguna. It gives the story a contemporary, very lived-in feeling rather than using LA as generic crime-thriller scenery.

At a little over 400 pages, The Confessor is substantial, but it reads quickly because the chapters tend to keep pushing you into the next piece of the investigation. There are stretches where the book gets very detailed about how Logan or The Confessor thinks through something, which may be more procedural than some readers want, but I actually think that detail is part of the appeal here. You get to understand how both men think rather than simply watching clues appear when the plot needs them. More than anything, this feels like the beginning of a crime series rather than a standalone thriller with a detective who happens to solve one case. Logan, Curt, WLTLH and the larger world around them all feel built to continue beyond this story, and I would be interested in seeing where the series takes them next.

Summary: 

Overall, The Confessor is a smart, fast-moving crime thriller about an LAPD detective hunting a killer who forces seemingly respectable people to confess the ugly truths they have been hiding. The alternating perspectives make the cat-and-mouse element especially fun, while Logan’s secret life as the owner of an investigative news site adds a genuinely interesting complication. Readers who like police procedurals, serial killer thrillers, morally complicated villains, clever detective work, strong partner banter and contemporary Los Angeles settings may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out The Confessor here!

 

Review: Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR by C.L. Stiles

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

When a man vanishes from a Kansas City diner — pulled through reality by forces no one can explain — Nathan Quipp knows it’s only the beginning.

As director of the Office of Hidden Realms, Nathan has spent his career keeping the supernatural world invisible to those who can’t handle the truth. But something is moving even deeper beneath the surface. Ley lines are surging. Cross-realm incursions are rising. And a near-divine source whispers the need to find the missing man — the Eidolon.

Now Nathan’s team is scattered across two continents and twelve centuries, racing to piece together a mystery that reaches from the streets of Kansas City to ancient Stonehenge and back again. The Veiled world is fracturing. The Unveiled are running out of time.

And something much older than the OHR is finally paying attention.

Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR is the first installment of the OHR Case Files.

Favorite Lines:

“Magic or no magic, she wasn’t starting Sunday without coffee.”

“You just found out the world is even bigger and stranger than you thought…And I won’t lie and say there’s nothing to fear.”

“The Keeper peered deeper into Nathan where the true battle raged. Not of flame, but of faith, of love. No, the memory of love.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eidolon feels like a mashup of urban fantasy, paranormal procedural, supernatural horror, and found-family adventure, but in a way that’s genuinely fun instead of overly self-aware. The setup hooked me almost immediately. A man vanishes inside a diner without any trace of magic, one witness remembers what happened while others mysteriously forget, and suddenly we’re pulled into the hidden world of the OHR, the Office of Hidden Realms. From there the novel opens wider and wider, introducing ghosts, fae, magical investigators, shapeshifters, strange prophecies, hidden archives, and a growing sense that something ancient and catastrophic is moving behind the scenes.

What worked best for me was the tone. The book balances mystery and danger with a surprisingly relaxed, conversational style that makes the world feel approachable even when the lore gets complicated. Sandra and Jasmine especially carry a lot of the early momentum. Their dynamic is one of the strongest parts of the novel because Sandra has this exhausted, sarcastic competence while Jasmine reacts to the supernatural world in ways that actually feel believable. She’s overwhelmed, curious, skeptical, and fascinated all at once. Their conversations help ground the story whenever the mythology starts expanding outward.

Nathan’s storyline adds a very different emotional layer to the book. Underneath all the monsters and magical investigations, there’s a pretty consistent thread of grief running through the novel because of Anne’s death and Nathan slowly reconnecting with abilities he thought were gone. I liked that the emotional side never completely disappears beneath the action. The supernatural elements matter, but the characters’ personal losses and fears matter too. Even some of the side characters, like Mia or Taft, feel more fleshed out than you’d expect in a book juggling this many concepts.

The worldbuilding is honestly huge. The OHR itself feels like a blend of Men in Black, The Dresden Files, Supernatural, SCP Foundation, and folklore-heavy urban fantasy. Every few chapters the reader gets introduced to something new: magical archives, latent abilities, weavers, fae bargains, edge events, ancient beings, hidden blogs, undead archivists, and supernatural politics. Normally this amount of lore would bog a book down, but Stiles usually keeps things moving by tying the exposition directly to active investigations or character interactions. The inserted guidebook sections and informational entries were also a smart choice because they help explain the setting without forcing characters into unnatural exposition dumps.

That said, the book absolutely prioritizes atmosphere, lore, and character interactions over tight plotting. There are stretches where the story feels episodic, almost like watching a supernatural TV series with monster-of-the-week energy slowly building toward a larger threat. Personally, I think that structure mostly works because the cast is enjoyable to spend time with, but readers looking for a very streamlined plot may occasionally feel like the story wanders. 

I ended up really enjoying this. The novel has genuine personality, and that matters a lot in crowded urban fantasy. It feels written by someone who genuinely loves folklore, supernatural horror, conspiracy fiction, and paranormal investigation stories. More importantly, it feels like the author actually enjoys these characters. By the time the larger mythology involving the Serpent King and the Eidolon itself starts taking shape, I was invested enough that I wanted to keep following the OHR into future books.

Summary:

Overall, Eidolon is an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery novel centered around the Office of Hidden Realms, a secret organization dealing with supernatural threats hidden beneath everyday life. The story mixes magical investigations, folklore, ghosts, fae, monsters, prophecies, and hidden conspiracies with a surprisingly emotional undercurrent about grief and identity. The tone balances humor, mystery, horror, and found-family energy while gradually building toward a much larger supernatural conflict. Readers who enjoy The Dresden Files, Supernatural, Men in Black-style organizations, SCP-style lore, paranormal procedurals, or ensemble urban fantasy casts will probably have a great time with this. Happy reading!

Check out Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR here!

 

Review: A Moment’s Surrender by John Burt

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

A Moment’s Surrender follows freshman writing instructor Paul Bishop in the aftermath of the murder of his former best friend, the renowned poet Tom Corbin. Haunted by guilt and bound by a devastating secret, Paul takes it upon himself to care for Tom’s terminally ill widow, Susan. But the truth he withholds — that Tom had planned to leave Susan for another woman, Paul’s own long-ago lover Rachel Lake — draws Paul into a painful triangle of loyalty, betrayal, and unresolved desire. Caught between the two women, Paul must navigate a web of grief and deception that threatens to undo them all.

Favorite Lines:

“In fact, they depended on each other and couldn’t quite be themselves without the challenge of the other.”

“Poetry was not just about feelings. It was not just a representation of something in the world, or an argument, or a short narrative told in heightened language, or a decorated moral proposition. It was an occasion to know something through the poem that you can’t know in any other way.”

“He did not want to want what he wanted, but he wanted it anyway, and every promise he made to himself divided him from himself, so that what he wanted to be and what he actually was faced off against each other.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

There’s a heaviness hanging over A Moment’s Surrender almost immediately, and not just because it opens with a murder investigation. The real weight of the novel comes from emotional paralysis, from the way people spend years avoiding truths they already know about themselves. The story follows Paul Bishop, an adjunct writing instructor whose former best friend, celebrated poet Tom Corbin, is found murdered after secretly planning to leave his wife Susan for Rachel Lake, Paul’s own former lover. Paul knows the truth about where Tom was headed before he died, but instead of exposing it, he starts lying almost instinctively, first to the police, then to Susan, and eventually to himself. What makes the novel work is that it understands lying not as villainy but as cowardice, hesitation, shame, and the desperate hope that maybe reality can somehow be delayed if nobody says it out loud.

What surprised me most about this book is how emotionally layered it is beneath all the literary and philosophical discussion. This is very much a novel about intellectual people trying to think their way out of grief, guilt, desire, and regret, only to discover that intelligence does not make anyone emotionally brave. Paul especially feels painfully real in that regard. He’s someone who once imagined a larger, more meaningful life for himself and now finds himself stuck grading freshman papers in Reno, circling old failures and unresolved relationships. The sections involving Rachel are some of the strongest in the novel because she represents both artistic intensity and emotional danger in a way that still unsettles Paul years later. Susan, though, quietly becomes the emotional center of the book. Her love for Tom, even knowing exactly who he is, gives the novel much of its sadness. There’s a recurring idea throughout the story that the deepest truth about a person may not be the worst thing they’ve done, but the struggle they can never fully overcome, and I think the book handles that idea with a surprising amount of compassion.

The academic setting also feels authentic in a way a lot of literary fiction does not. Burt clearly understands the strange mixture of ego, insecurity, idealism, exhaustion, and performance that exists inside literary academia. The conversations about poetry, philosophy, religion, and aesthetics are not there just to sound smart. They genuinely reveal character and worldview. At times the novel almost reads like a long argument between competing ways of understanding art and morality. Paul wants poetry to mean something transcendent while Corbin increasingly sees art as tangled up in power, ambition, and self-interest. Rachel falls somewhere darker and more dangerous in between. These conversations can be dense, but they rarely felt empty to me because they are always tied back to emotional wounds the characters are carrying. Even the landscape descriptions, especially around Pyramid Lake and the desert highways, feel connected to the emotional isolation of the characters rather than existing purely for atmosphere.

This is definitely a slow, reflective novel. Readers looking for a fast-moving mystery may struggle because the murder becomes less important than the emotional wreckage surrounding it. There are sections where the philosophical discussions and internal reflections run long, and occasionally the book risks becoming too enamored with its own intelligence. But honestly, that excess also feels true to these characters. These are people who intellectualize because they do not know how else to survive themselves. The style fits the emotional world of the story.

Summary:

Overall, I thought A Moment’s Surrender was ambitious, thoughtful literary fiction that trusts its readers to sit with discomfort instead of racing toward easy catharsis. It’s a novel about failed courage, unresolved longing, self-deception, and the stories people construct to make their lives bearable. More than the murder itself, what lingered with me afterward was the sadness of watching people recognize exactly what is broken inside themselves while still remaining unable to change. This will probably work best for readers who enjoy psychologically dense literary fiction, emotionally complicated relationship dynamics, and novels deeply interested in art, memory, morality, and the gap between who people want to be and who they actually are. Happy reading!

Check out A Moment’s Surrender here!

 

Review: The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow by Verlin Darrow

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Kade Tobin needs every bit of his wisdom as the leader of a rural spiritual community to remain true to his core values as murders pile up around him. Drawn into helping to solve the mystery by a sheriff’s detective, Kade sorts through the array of quirky seekers on the community’s land, only to end up as the defendant in a suspense-filled trial. He struggles to maintain a stance of kindness while he endures bullies in the jail, a vengeful DA, and the pending judgment of twelve strangers. As the prosecution parades witness after witness, the mounting evidence against Kade becomes alarmingly damning. If he were a juror, Kade believes he might vote to convict himself at this stage of his trial. But he also trusts the universe. Kade remains confident that a force greater than himself–and the justice system–has other plans for him. Or does it?

Favorite Lines:

“Most of us humans are burdened by the tyranny of continuity—the ongoing, sequential storylines we feel compelled to construct. What about directly experiencing life—letting it tell us about itself?”

“The world isn’t going to adapt to suit us. We need to transform ourselves to match it as best as we can in order to step away from an adversarial relationship with it.”

“The truth is what matters…If telling it brings up feelings for me, it’s my job to manage those internally. I’ve found that when I avoid something uncomfortable, it just sets up a day of reckoning. It usually ends up worse than whatever the original experience would’ve been.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one opens in a way that feels deceptively calm. A man, his dog, a quiet morning in a spiritual community tucked into the Santa Cruz mountains. Then there’s a body. And just like that, whatever sense of peace existed gets pulled apart.

What makes this book interesting isn’t really the murder itself. It’s the lens we’re forced to look through. Kade Tobin isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s not scrambling, panicking, or even especially reactive. He’s… observing. Processing. Filtering everything through this spiritual framework that’s supposed to keep him grounded, even when something objectively horrific is sitting a few feet away.

And honestly, that tension is the most compelling part of the book. There’s this constant push and pull between detachment and reality. Kade wants to “experience everything fully,” but when faced with something truly brutal, he flinches like anyone else. That contradiction feels very human, even if the surrounding philosophy sometimes drifts into abstract territory.

The community itself is where things really start to take shape. The Brethren of Congruence is filled with people who are, for lack of a better word, messy. Not in a dramatic, over-the-top way, but in a very believable one. You’ve got people running from past lives, people trying to fix themselves, people who probably shouldn’t be living in a secluded group dynamic at all. The interviews with each member are where the book slows down, but also where it gains texture.

Some of those conversations feel intentionally frustrating. Characters dodge questions, spiral into philosophy, or fixate on things that seem completely irrelevant to a murder investigation. At first it reads like distraction, but over time it starts to feel more like a point. These people don’t operate on the same wavelength as the detective, and that disconnect creates a kind of quiet friction throughout the story.

Detective Cullen is a solid counterbalance. He’s grounded, practical, and increasingly irritated by everything he’s dealing with. His skepticism gives the story structure when it threatens to drift too far into introspection. The dynamic between him and Kade works because neither fully respects the other’s worldview, but they still need each other to move forward.

This is not a traditional mystery. If you’re expecting tight plotting and constant forward momentum, this might feel slow. The narrative is more interested in ideas, personalities, and internal dialogue than in building suspense in a conventional way.

That said, there’s something quietly effective about how it all unfolds. The sense that something is off, not just with the crime but with the people around it, lingers in the background. And the deeper you get into the community, the less certain everything feels.

It’s less about solving a murder and more about understanding the environment it happened in.

Summary:

Overall, this is a slow-burn, character-driven mystery set inside a secluded spiritual community. The story leans heavily into philosophy, interpersonal dynamics, and psychological nuance rather than fast-paced plot. Readers who enjoy introspective or philosophical fiction that feature more character studies than action may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow here!

Review: SETTUP by TK Thoits

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Respected neurologist and researcher Stella Murray was confident the FDA would approve the experimental medication based on its demonstrated superior efficacy. Knowing a serious side effect would not derail the approval process, she reports that a patient had a significant reaction to the investigational drug.

Shortly thereafter, Grand Rapids Detective Troy Evans is called to investigate the suspicious death of a Site Monitor who, he learns, worked with Murray. Evans asks Murray to educate him on the unfamiliar world of medical research. She discloses that conducting investigational drug studies has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with power brokers providing more oversight than the government.

When Murray informs Evans that a second Site Monitor has been killed, they team up to take down the corruption that is mercilessly burying unwelcome researchers and results of a promising drug trial.

Favorite Lines:

“Sometimes having the loudest voice in the decision-making process didn’t matter.”

“Filling out the death report was his way of delaying that which he dreaded the most. Notification of the parents.”

“‘You can be a real dick sometimes. How does your better half, no, your extremely superior half put up with you?’ ‘She tells me that I was lucky to marry up.'”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

SETTUP opens in a way that immediately tells you what kind of story you’re stepping into—fast, clinical, and a little unsettling. The ER scene with the teenage patient in status epilepticus isn’t just dramatic for the sake of it—it feels real. The details are sharp, almost uncomfortably so, and you can tell right away that this book is going to lean heavily on medical realism. It doesn’t ease you in. It drops you straight into it.

From there, the story expands quickly into something bigger than just a single patient case. What starts as a medical situation turns into something that feels more like a layered thriller—part hospital drama, part research conspiracy, part crime story. Stella Murray is probably the emotional anchor of the book. She’s competent, driven, and grounded in a way that makes the more chaotic elements around her feel believable. Her concern about the study drug doesn’t feel dramatic—it feels like someone who knows something is off but doesn’t yet have proof.

And then the book takes a turn.

The introduction of the corporate side—and especially the darker thread involving the trial, the pressure to suppress adverse events, and the decision to eliminate a problem rather than solve it—is where things shift from grounded to unsettling. The email exchange with KFAP is honestly one of the most jarring parts of the book, but in a way that works. It’s bizarre, a little darkly comedic, and also deeply uncomfortable. The contrast between the tone of those emails and the seriousness of what’s actually happening creates this strange tension that sticks with you.

KFAP as a character is… a lot. He’s unpredictable, unsettling, and written in a way that almost makes him feel detached from reality. But that’s also kind of the point. He’s not meant to feel normal. He’s meant to feel like someone operating outside the rules everyone else is trying to follow. And when his storyline intersects with the medical plot, the stakes suddenly feel very real in a different way.

The detective side of the story adds another layer that I actually liked more than I expected. Evans is methodical, grounded, and a nice counterbalance to the chaos happening behind the scenes. His sections slow things down in a good way—they give you space to process what just happened while also pushing the mystery forward.

If there’s one thing this book does well, it’s juggling multiple threads without losing the core tension. The medical mystery, the ethical gray area of clinical trials, the corporate pressure, and the crime element all feed into each other. You can feel the pieces moving toward something bigger, even when the story jumps perspectives.

This story reads like a hybrid between a medical drama and a conspiracy thriller with a darker edge. It’s not subtle, but it is engaging. And once things start connecting, it becomes hard to put down.

Summary:

Overall,  SETTUP is a fast, detail-heavy medical thriller that starts in the ER and expands into a layered story involving clinical trials, corporate pressure, and a criminal subplot. The medical realism is strong, and the tension builds as the threads begin to connect. The tone can shift a bit—especially with the assassin storyline—but it adds a darker, more unsettling edge. Best for readers who like medical dramas with conspiracy elements and multiple POVs rather than a single, straightforward narrative. Happy reading!

 

Check out SETTUP here!
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Review: Driftless Spirits by Karen Ringel

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Charlotte Burke can’t shake her recurring dream. Over and over again she dreams of finding a mysterious journal on a candlelit desk while wandering through a strange house in the middle of the night. Every dream has shown her a framed picture of an old woman sitting at the same desk, except the latest version. Last night, the woman stood and offered Charlotte a keyring. In the morning, Charlotte woke up with her car keys in her hand.

Her best friend is worried but skeptical when Charlotte insists the house is real. The dream is metaphorical, Ivy says, reflecting Charlotte’s restless state. Ivy gifts her a journal and urges her to take the trip her subconscious is demanding before she wakes up behind the wheel. A roadtrip of self-discovery will help Charlotte figure out what she really wants.

Charlotte agrees to the trip but not for Ivy’s reasons. To her, the house, the journal and the woman in her dream are all too real. She sets off to do the impossible. She doesn’t know it yet, but if she can find the house and uncover its secrets in time, she might save far more than her driftless life.

Favorite Lines:

“It’s the kind of place that passerby barely notice and would never stop. It’s also the kind of place that’s cherished if you live there.”

“The internet has everything if you look hard enough.”

“Sometimes you just have to take a chance and jump.”

“Drifting through some days was fine but drifting through her years without intention squandered a precious gift.

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the opening dream sequence, Driftless Spirits establishes an atmosphere rooted in intuition, restlessness, and the slow pull of something unnamed. Charlotte’s story feels immediately familiar in the best way. She is not running from tragedy or danger but from stagnation, from the unsettling realization that her life has begun to feel paused. That emotional starting point gives the book a gentle but persistent momentum.

What Ringel does especially well is treat place as both setting and catalyst. Wisconsin’s Driftless region is not just where the story happens, it is part of what the story is about. The landscape mirrors Charlotte’s internal state: winding roads, unexpected valleys, quiet towns that seem easy to overlook unless you stop and really look. Casten’s Horn feels lived in rather than constructed, and its routines, celebrations, and peculiar rhythms give the town a sense of layered history without overwhelming the narrative.

Charlotte herself is an easy protagonist to root for because her doubts feel honest and unembellished. Her curiosity outweighs her fear, but just barely, and that balance keeps the tension grounded. The mystery elements arrive slowly and organically, never disrupting the cozy tone but gently complicating it. The supernatural aspects are understated and feel more like an extension of intuition and memory than something overtly threatening, which makes them more intriguing than alarming.

At its core, Driftless Spirits is a story about listening. Listening to instincts, to forgotten history, to places that seem to call quietly rather than loudly. The novel resists neat answers and dramatic twists, opting instead for gradual revelation and emotional payoff. It invites the reader to slow down, pay attention, and trust that small moments can still carry significance. The result is a story that feels comforting without being predictable, and reflective without losing narrative direction.

Summary:

Overall, Driftless Spirits may appeal to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries, gentle supernatural elements, and character-driven stories set in small towns. It is well suited for those who appreciate atmospheric storytelling, introspective journeys, and mysteries that unfold through mood and discovery rather than danger. Readers who enjoy themes of self-rediscovery, intuition, and place-based storytelling will likely find this a satisfying and quietly engaging read. Happy reading!

Check out Driftless Spirits here!

Review: The Regression Strain by Kevin Hwang

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Nobody’s safe when the inner beast awakens…

Dr. Peter Palma joins the medical team of the Paradise to treat passengers for minor ailments as the cruise ship sails across the Atlantic. But he soon discovers that something foul is festering under the veneer of leisure. Deep in the bowels of the ship, a vile affliction pits loved ones against each other and shatters the bonds of civil society. The brig fills with felons, the morgue with bodies, and the vacation becomes a nightmare.

One by one, the chaos claims Peter’s allies. His mentor spirals into madness and the security chief fights a losing battle against anarchy. No help comes from the captain, who has an ego bigger than the ocean.

With the ship racing toward an unprepared New York, the fate of humanity hinges on Peter’s deteriorating judgment. But he’s hallucinating and delirious…and sometimes primal urges are impossible to resist.

The Regression Strain is a fast-paced medical thriller laced with psychological suspense, perfect for fans of Michael Crichton and Blake Crouch.

Favorite Lines:

“Right back into it, then. He was a kid on a roller coaster cresting the first big incline—the moment before the bottom fell out. He opened the closet and confronted his uniform. Sure, he’d paid for the ride, but that didn’t make it any less stomach-churning.”

“Funny how standards eroded in the face of devastation.”

“The holes in his memory were filling in like groundwater welling up in the paw prints of a rabid raccoon. Muddy and random.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What starts as a slow simmer quickly boils over in The Regression Strain, Kevin Hwang’s debut that’s equal parts medical mystery, psychological spiral, and pandemic-era existential horror. It’s not a long book, but it’s the kind that lingers—creeping into your thoughts days after you’ve closed it.

The story follows Dr. Peter Palma caught in the chaos of a rapidly spreading fungal pandemic. But Hwang doesn’t just want to tell a virus-outbreak story. He wants to pick at your nerves. The plot slips between sanity, and reality in a way that’s deliberately disorienting. Think fever dream with a med school vocabulary. And I mean that as a compliment.

What makes this novel hum is the way Hwang blends scientific precision with narrative messiness. There’s an almost surgical attention to detail in the clinical scenes—no surprise, given Hwang’s background in medicine—but it never feels like a lecture. Instead, the book immerses you in the  high-stakes environment of a cruise ship in the midst of a mysterious illness, only to pull the rug out with unsettling shifts in tone and perception. At times, I questioned whether what I was reading was happening at all—much like the narrator himself. It’s a risky move, but it works.

Stylistically, it won’t be for everyone. The prose can be clipped and clinical one moment, then rush into sensory overload the next. It’s intentional and immersive, but it can make for a slightly uneven reading experience. That said, if you’re the kind of reader who doesn’t mind being dropped into the deep end—without floaties—there’s a lot to appreciate here.

Emotionally, The Regression Strain taps into something very now. The anxiety of being overeducated but powerless. The loneliness of a pandemic. The slow erosion of certainty. It’s not a comforting read, but it’s a relatable one, especially if you’ve ever tried to logic your way through a crisis and come out the other side more confused than when you started.

Summary:

Overall, is it horror? Sci-fi? Psychological drama? Honestly, it’s all of the above and then some. Hwang doesn’t seem interested in coloring within genre lines, and that’s part of the fun. The Regression Strain is sharp, strange, and surprisingly affecting. It’s not your typical outbreak story—It’s weirder (in a good way), smarter, and a bit sadder.

Can we also take a minute to acknowledge that Hwang is a whole father and doctor and still somehow found time to write this masterpiece, I am in awe! If you like horror, suspense, action, medical mysteries, sci-fi, and/or thrillers then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out The Regression Strain here!

 

Review: Lost Grove: Part One by Charlotte Zang and Alex J. Knudsen

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

For fans of Twin Peaks and Stranger Things, Lost Grove is the first in a paranormal mystery duology that explores the twisted legends and mysteries in one small town.

In the eerie, enigmatic town of Lost Grove, where secrets whispered among the rustling pines are as thick as the fog rolling in from the sea, the discovery of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams’ lifeless body on the windswept beach is but the first note in a haunting symphony of mysteries.

Sergeant Seth Wolfe, the town’s tenacious lawman, penetrates the cryptic and labyrinthine secrets veiled beneath the town’s cheerful facade. A connection to Sarah Elizabeth, one he could never have fathomed, begins to take shape, blurring the lines between his own existence and the mysteries that enshroud the town. Suspects multiply like whispers in a haunted forest, but each lead unravels, and the mysteries of the case deepen.

Meanwhile, a group of local teenagers embark on their own harrowing mission, driven by a relentless desire to answer the riddle of their friend’s vanished brother and expose the sinister secrets harbored by an affluent institute nestled in the heart of Lost Grove. Further complicating matters, one teen’s father left town the morning Sarah Elizabeth’s body was found. With ties to a similar case seven years prior, he has become a prime suspect in the case.

As Seth dives deeper into the abyss of darkness gripping Lost Grove, an unsettling discovery threatens to derail his investigation and shatter the illusions of safety the town has harbored for far too long. A chilling web of malevolence begins to tighten its grip, ensnaring them all in a nightmarish dance that will test the limits of their resolve.

Readers who love the eerie, unsettling mystery of Stephen King’s The Outsider and the monstrous legends of Brian McGreevy’s Hemlock Grove will enjoy this twisty, taut thriller.

Favorite Lines:

“If it’s cold, Zoe likes it. The weather, food, water, you name it.”

“The angel’s wings stretched out against the inky night sky like a graceful paintbrush, his feathers rich with a hue of grapefruit and perfectly symmetrical.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story starts off with the body of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams being found on an empty beach in Lost Grove. Sergeant Seth Wolfe is put on the case and finds himself falling down a rabbit hole full of mysteriously forgotten memories and haunting dreams. While word of Sarah’s death spreads around town, two psychic siblings attempt to escape their past and start over at a new high school and a group of teenagers set out on their own dangerous mission to find a missing brother which leads them to question if changelings exist. That’s all to say that there are several strange things going on in Lost Grove and readers get to buckle in for the ride.

The story alternates between a present day storyline and flashbacks from multiple characters’ pasts which gives an inside perspective to a variety of events and only lends to the notes of mystery throughout this book. I found that the authors did a great job at setting the stage for Lost Grove to be what seems like a normal small town only for readers to quickly realize that there are a lot of unexplainable, and sometimes downright creepy, undercurrents that create a shroud of suspense and mystery around the town. I applaud the authors for being able to spin such a tangled web of secrets and connect them all together to become the town of Lost Grove. 

In addition to a deliciously creepy setting and plot, I also enjoyed the character writing throughout this book. The authors create a diverse cast of characters with their own personality quirks, secrets, and mysterious backstories that only add to the intrigue of this story. I thought the balancing of these characters, especially because there are several of them, was very skillfully done and there were several times while I was reading this that I thought there had to be some type of detective-esque board with strings attaching points together; how else were they able to keep everything so straight to write this story? I almost felt like I needed to make one a few times while reading this… This story is definitely something I could see being made into a TV show and, if you’re like me, you’ll be binge watching it in one sitting (maybe with a light or two on).

I also wanted to quickly highlight how cool I think it is that Knudson and Zang  are a husband/wife duo. I always love when spouses create something special like this together. Talk about a power couple!

Summary:

Full of horror elements, suspense, the paranormal, mystery, and much more, Lost Grove leaves no rock unturned while taking readers on an addicting dark and thrilling journey that will have them turning page after page desperate answers. If you’re a fan of Twin Peaks, and want to read something similar with a bit more of the supernatural and paranormal, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Lost Grove: Part One here!