Head Cases (#1) by John McMahon

 This is less a standard procedural and more a study of unique characters operating in a sort of shadow unit to solve a mystifying string of murders. 

The FBIs Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit is a task for of intellectual misfits or genius outcasts who are assigned unusual cases because of their unusual approach.  FBI Agent Gardner Camden, an analytical savant with an eidetic memory and a talent for puzzles and patterns, leads the team. He often has difficulty with human empathy, emotions and social graces. Other team members have their own skills and abilities. 

In this book, the unit, which is usually relegated to solving cold cases, is thrust tiny the field when a notorious serial killer, long presumed dead, is found murder in a particularly horrendous manner. It seems that there is a vigilante who is targeting other serial killers and who is leaving behind clues and riddles meant for Gardner and his team. 

I enjoyed the way that the author rose above the trope of damaged geniuses and introduces a PAR team that is authentic and quirky without just a bunch of eccentrically skilled law enforcement agents. Yes, Camden is clearly neurodivergent even though his analytical prowess is both a professional superpower and a personal disability. He does have emotional struggles as he deals with his beloved mother, his daughter and an exwife in prison. Two other characters, Casssie Pardo (a mathematician) and the weapons expert and sharpshooter, Joanne Harris, add intriguing depth to the team. 

Good, complicated plot and a somewhat slow pacing as the killer leads the team with increasing challenges. Then the adrenaline infused action sequences when the reader is reminded that the agents aren’t just cerebral. This is the start of a new series and perfect for fans of character driven crime thrillers who appreciate a complex hero. I look forward to the next book.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-ebook provided by the publisher. The narrator, Will Damron, excelled at portraying the main character as well as being able to give distinct voices to the other characters in the book. His timing and intonation do well to build the suspense and definitely creates an atmosphere that keeps the reader engaged. I really like his voice and this production enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is the debut of a new series. Two books have been contracted. Read in order.

Genre - police procedural, crime thrillers, psychological, murder, serial killers, neurodivergent 

Murder on a Frosty Night (Lady Eleanor Swift #24) by Verity Bright

 

The client was dead before they even arrived!

This delightful cozy, set in England in 1925, finds Lady Eleanor Swift and husband Hugh Seldon ready to celebrate their first Christmas together at Henley Hall. When an unexpected telegram arrives on Christmas Eve with a curt and mysterious message asking them to travel to a remote hamlet by midnight to earn their fees, they decide that their fledgling detective agency needs some income, so they drive off with Gladstone in tow. Upon tardy arrival to the client's estate, they find an empty office and a recording that starts to give them a few details before being abruptly cut off. Hearing music from the local church, they pass a graveyard where a dead man rests across a tombstone. Alas, it's the body of Inigo Osmund Unwin, their client.

This immediately turns the investigation into a game of retroactive deduction, forcing the Byron Detective Agency to solve a case that they were technically too late for. The inhabitants of the village didn't know or care much for Unwin and they seem to have a lot of secrets. As the snow falls and temperatures drop, Eleanor, Hugh, and Clifford begin a heated interrogation of the locals. Christmas this year will be nothing like they expected. 

This was complex and fun with lots of wonderful historical details that the author is known for. I love the time period and the setting with the Christmas theme. The characters are what drives this series, however, and I always enjoy returning to catch their latest whodunit. From Lady Eleanor and Hugh to Clifford, their butler, who is a walking encyclopedia, to the "aprons" who cook and clean, everyone is part of the crew. Their camaraderie and witty repartee are part of each book's charm. Although there is always a mystery to solve, it's really the sense of team and family that carries this beyond the typical cozy. 

After 24 books, I still very much enjoy this series and recommend any interested readers start with the first installment for maximum enjoyment.

Book Blog Tour for Bookouture 12-9-25
ARC provided for review.

 

This is part of a series. 

Tags and Genre - cozy historical mystery, England, 1925, murder 

Forget You Saw Her (Ask for Andrea prequel) by Noelle Ihli

 A hauntingly emotional thriller that masterfully blends a desperate mother's search for her missing daughter with paranormal influences. 

This prequel to the brilliant "Ask for Andrea" introduces Sabina, who gave up the eponymous Andrea for adoption as an infant over 17 years ago. When a police inquiry states that Andrea is missing and believed to be a runaway, Sabina immediately heads to Ogden, Utah, where Andrea had lived with her adoptive parents. As she meets those who knew her daughter, she feels an inexplicable sense that Andrea s right there with her, guiding her, and helping to give her mother the answers that justice demands. 

Sabina is driven by a combination of guilt and fierce maternal love for the daughter she never knew. The plot is tense and fast-paced, but the supernatural element uniquely infuses the thriller with sorrow and an otherworldly quest for the truth to be revealed. The book offers a poignant tone emphasizing the mother-daughter bond that seems to have transcended even death. 

Although I typically avoid books with these preternatural ingredients, I was captivated by this novel and encourage any reader to choose to read this one first as I wish I could have. It sets the stage for the next story and pulls everything together. I hate leaving Andrea and, though I have no idea how much  more the author could make of the premise, I'd love to see another installment. I like the writing and how quickly I was drawn back into the world and how Ihli makes it all so believable. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along with the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrators, Andi Arndt, Carlotta Brentan, and Brittany Pressley. The trio provided distinct and emotional portrayals of the main characters and captured the desperation and love as well as the eerie essence of those no longer alive. The voices definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book and created an immersive atmosphere that kept me gripped until the very end. 

Highly recommend.

This is the prequel to Ask for Andrea. Read first if you can.

Tags and genre - paranormal thriller, dead helping living, murder, sexual assault, rape 

The Luxury Orphanage by Grant Finnegan

 Set in London in 1990, this combination of horror and paranormal thriller centers on Ravenstone House for the Less Privileged, an early 1800s building with a dark past. Once a majestic home and then an orphanage until 1956, it was derelict for decades with a local reputation for being haunted. Its renovation into lavish, modern flats, attempts to bury its history but this rebirth disturbs more than just dust. As the new residents move in, unexplained phenomena -- cold drafts, whispers, shrieks, visions of ghosts, and inexplicable movement of furnishings, suggest the tortured souls of the children who perished there are not at peace. The spirits of the past, particularly two children, Finley and Heather, demand justice and the ability to move on to their rightful resting place. The narrative follows the residents as they unravel the house's dark secrets, leading to a series of chilling confrontations. 

This is not a typical ghost story because of the strong character-driven intensity and involvement in the quest for justice for the orphans. There are no jump scare tropes here as the author uses the personalities and stories of the tenants who come to the aid of the children with steely resolve and clear consciences. Next door flat mates Quentin (Q), his fiancee Mary, and husband wife David and Christine, join an upstairs forensic investigator, Yukiko, in securing the names of any living evil perpetrators from the past. Finnegan handles the extremely dark subject matter of child abuse and sexual exploitation with a careful yet unflinching eye, ensuring the horrors are rooted in human depravity rather than cheaper supernatural theatrics. The conclusion, along with a few surprises, was remarkably fulfilling. 

Definitely recommend this chilling story layered with social commentary on historical trauma and buried secrets. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Tags and genre - child abuse, sexual abuse, orphans, gentrification, revenge, justice, secrets 

A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay

 Requested this because I thought it would be a medical thriller typical of the genre with a practicing doctor investigating the death of a colleague. I was wrong. 

I should have just deleted this from my e-reader after the first couple of chapters but I held on until the completely underwhelming conclusion. I am trying to come up with some positive thoughts about the book but it wasn't funny, the characters were all quite horrible people, and the mystery was very predictable. It was also heavily into gay relationships and a skewed presentation of bipolar mental illness. The outlandish things that the main character did ranged from horrendous to criminal.  I haven't read any other of this author's books and now I know I never will.

I tried to listen to the audio book but did not like the narrator's voice at all so I returned it to the library. 

Do not recommend this at all. 

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre and tags - meant to be witty but it's not. Heavy gay relationships. Mental illness. Not a medical thriller or even a mystery. Murder. Revenge.  

Murder at Midwinter Farm (Miss Underhay #22) by Helena Dixon

 

Delightfully traditional cozy crime novel that perfectly captures the atmosphere of a 1930s English winter. The frosty Devon setting provides a wonderful backdrop for a mystery layered with classic tropes. 

Kitty Underhay is helping her best friend Alice with drapery hanging at Alice’s recently purchased and renovated farm. Alice and her fiancé, Robert, bought the property at an estate auction, There’s a bit of superstition about the place because of a vanished previous tenant farmer who left the door open and dinner on the table and who has been missing for over 10 years. When the man’s body is discovered on the farm by a workman putting in telephone poles, Kitty and her husband Matthew, who are now private investigators, try to solve the murder mystery. Could it be that the murder is linked to a web of local burglaries at neighboring estates? 

Lots of suspects in the mix as usual, with Kitty and Matt joining their old, familiar police inspectors as they snoop around and question some of the bad actors who might have been involved with either the burglaries or the murder, or both. 

I like Kitty and Matt and now they are married in this 22nd book of the series. For being practically newlyweds, there’s about zero romance in the pages. Their relationship is so focused on their involvement in their probes and inquiries. As usual, the narrative is full of lots of details about their daily lives, food, tea, and their pets. Fairly predictable following the typical formula for this genre, it is still enjoyable to catch up with Matt and Kitty and the rest of the characters who populate the books. I’m sure I’ll keep reading the next installments though their lives need a little more personal spicing up and Matt needs some sort of therapy for his issues.

This is scheduled for my blog tour on publication for November 24, 2025. If you like historical cozy whodunits and mysteries set in the Devon area of England, this is a fun series that I recommend for its attention to detail and style. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is 22nd in a series that should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre and tags - cozy historical mystery series set in Devon, Murder, burglary, private investigators

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

 This starts out as a 4 and rapidly declined to a 2 and I should have DNF. Though market as an adult thriller, it totally reads like a YA novel.

The premise -- a young woman is dying after an attack damages her brain and an aneurysm is due to burst and bleed within the week. She decides, after a completely lackluster life where she accomplished nothing, to solve her own murder. With the help of her childhood friend, Billy, (who of course in this trope of tropes secretly loves her), Jet (oh what a name and somehow a nickname for Margaret) tries to find some clues that will help them discover the identity of the killer. 

The dialogue was sophomoric and the plot so very thin that within a few chapters you can guess correctly most all of the what, why, and who. The constant repetition of how much time Jet has left was annoying. The things Jet did in that week in her condition were quite preposterous and one needs to really suspend all disbelief as it really strains credulity. I can see by other reviews that I'm an outlier on this one. I'm sorry I wasted my time but I thought the unique perspective was going to be better executed. I appreciate receiving the ARC from the publisher. 

I also tried to listen to the audio book but the narrator's (Alex McKenna) voice just made me cringe and emphasized all the points I made about the writing and the dialogue. I stopped.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Tags and genre -- publisher markets as adult novel but reads like YA, trope filled mystery, boy next door, solve your own murder premise