Author: Ed Duncan
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
An action-packed crime thriller, Pigeon-Blood Red follows Rico, an underworld enforcer on a relentless chase after Robert, a desperate gambler who has stolen a priceless necklace. The pursuit takes them from the gritty streets of Chicago to the tropical beauty of Honolulu, where betrayals, danger, and unexpected twists keep the tension high. At first, I struggled to get into the story, but once the chase was in full sw...
Author: Dolen Perkins Valdez
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
A powerful and thought-provoking novel inspired by true historical events, Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins Valdez is a deeply emotional read that sheds light on a horrifying chapter in American history. The story follows Civil Townsend, a young Black nurse in 1970s Alabama, who is assigned to administer birth control shots to two young sisters. When she discovers that these girls, only 11 and 14, are neither sexually ac...
Author: Kia Abdullah
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
A gripping and emotional courtroom drama, Next of Kin follows the harrowing case of an aunt who makes an unthinkable mistake—forgetting her three-year-old nephew in the car, leading to devastating consequences. This novel was our book club pick, and from the very first pages, I was hit with a wave of emotions. As a mother, the premise alone was one of my worst nightmares, and I thought I knew exactly where the story...
Author: C.J. Tudor
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
A gripping, claustrophobic thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world, The Drift by C.J. Tudor is an intense survival story that keeps you guessing until the very end. A deadly virus is threatening the population, and in the middle of a brutal snowstorm, three groups of strangers find themselves in terrifying situations. Hannah wakes up in the wreckage of a crashed coach bus, trapped inside with survivors and no way to ...
Author: B.K. Borison
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
Some books arrive in your life at just the right time, and for me, Mixed Signals was one of them. Layla Dupree is Lovelight Farms’ beloved baker, known for her delicious treats but not for her luck in love. After countless disappointments in the dating world, she starts to wonder if she’s simply destined to be single. Then there’s Caleb, a former cop turned high school teacher, who keeps getting dumped before re...
Author: Ana Reyes
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
At 18, Maya was captivated by Frank, a mysterious young man working at her local library. She became so infatuated that she neglected her best friend Aubrey and even reconsidered going to college. But that same summer, Aubrey died under eerie circumstances, and Maya never fully recovered. Now, seven years later, Maya is struggling with addiction and haunted by her past. When she sees a viral video of a woman dying whi...
Author: Michelle Min Sterling
Review by Mel on 2023-12-02
Camp Zero presents a chilling vision of a dystopian future where climate disaster has reshaped the world. While the wealthy live in floating cities, the rest of humanity struggles to survive in extreme heat waves and natural catastrophes. Against this backdrop, a diverse group of people find themselves at Camp Zero in the Canadian North—each with their own secretive purpose. The Diggers are laborers hired to construc...
Author: Alex Finlay
Review by Mel on 2023-11-30
Years ago, they were troubled kids at Savior House, a group home run by a sinister man and his equally shady son. Now, they’ve grown up to become a tech billionaire, a TV producer, a stepmother with unexpected skills, and a recently deceased judge. What they all share is a dark past—and the single night that changed everything. When a professional assassin starts targeting them one by one, they are forced to revis...