Much as I enjoy spending September and October reading twenty-five books targeted at specific Halloween Bingo themes, I am, at heart, a mood reader. This week, it’s felt liberating to revert to type and read whatever caught my interest.
I’ve been trying to resist the urge to buy every book that looks interesting. This year, I bought more books than I could read. I’d like to catch up on the books on my shelves rather than simply keep adding to them.
Anyway, here’s what I read and bought this week and what’s coming up next.
This was a good reading week, with two five-star reads: ‘A Killing in November’, the first book in a police procedural series set in Oxford, and ‘The Winter Guest’, an atmospheric winter mystery novella that swept me away for an afternoon. I had fun with a Weird West vampire novella that read like a graphic novel, and an ingenious YA Dark Academia thriller. The only disappointment of the week was a book about a ‘retired’ serial killer that was meant to be amusing but failed to get there.
For Lawson, the horrors that stalked the Civil War battlefield at Shiloh were more than just those of war. After being forcibly given the gift of undeath by the mysterious vampire queen LaRouge, Lawson chose to cling to what remained of his humanity and fought his way free of the Dark Societys clutches. In the decades since, he has roamed late nineteenth-century America, doing what good he can as he travels by night, combating evils mundane and supernatural, and always seeking the key to regaining a mortal life.
That key lies with his maker, and now Lawson hopes to find LaRouge at the heart of a Louisiana swamp with the aid of a haunted priest and an unexpected ally. In the tornado-wracked ghost town of Nocturne, Lawson must face down monstrous enemies, the rising sun, and his own nature.
‘I Travel By Night‘ (2013) was a Weird West vampire novella that punched above its weight with the impact of a spectacular graphic novel. Set twenty years after the American Civil War, it had a strong Southern Gothic feel, great visuals, added a new twist on vampirism and built up to a very dramatic ending.
My review is HERE
November is as good as dead. She just doesn’t know it yet.
At the international Academy Absconditi, there’s no electricity, no internet, and an archaic eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes range from knife throwing and poisons to the art of deception. And the students? All silver-spoon descendants of the world’s most elite strategists–training to become assassins, spies, and master impersonators.
One is a virtuoso of accents–and never to be trusted. Another is a vicious fighter determined to exploit November’s weaknesses. And then there’s the boy with the mesmerizing eyes and a secret agenda.
November doesn’t know how an ordinary girl like her fits into the school’s complicated legacy. But when a student is murdered, she’ll need to separate her enemies from her allies before the crime gets pinned on her . . . or she becomes the killer’s next victim.
I hadn’t expected ‘Killing November’ (2019) to be written as a Young Adult novel. Dumb of me, perhaps, given that the protagonist is seventeen and the action takes place at a school. Even so, I was thinking Dark Academia rather than YA thriller. Once I reset my expectations, I enjoyed myself.
The world November belatedly discovers she’s a part of was as fascinating as it was improbable, and it was displayed with skill. The plot moved forward via a series of challenges involving a mix of physical and mental skills, from tree-climbing and knife-throwing to code-breaking and pattern recognition. The action scenes worked. The heroine was engaging, if a little naive, and everything moved fast enough to keep the fun flowing. I liked this well enough that I’ve already bought the sequel.
Ryan Wilkins grew up on a trailer park, a member of what many people would call the criminal classes. As a young Detective Inspector, he’s lost none of his disgust with privileged elites. But he notices things; they stick to his eyes. His professional partner, DI Ray Wilkins, of affluent Nigerian-London heritage, is an impeccably groomed, smooth-talking graduate of Balliol College, Oxford. You wouldn’t think they would get on. They don’t.
But when a young woman is found strangled at Barnabas Hall, they’re forced to.
Rich Oxford is not Ryan’s natural habitat. St Barnabas’s irascible Provost does not appreciate his forceful line of questioning. But what was the dead woman doing in the Provost’s study?
As tensions rise, things aren’t going well. Ray is in despair. Ryan is in disciplinary measures.
‘A Killing in November‘ (2022) is the first book in a police procedural series set in Oxford. The fifth book was published this year. I selected this book purely because I was looking for a novel with ‘November’ in the title. It turned out to be one of my best reads of the week.
It exceeded my expectations by being as much about the characters of the two police officers investigating a murder as it was about solving the murder. It would have been easy to reduce this story to something as predictable as a Hollywood buddy movie, with DI Ryan Watkings as a clever, unconventional, insightful chav with anger problems, clashing with DI Raymond Watkins a polished, fast-tracked, rule-following, posh boy, Oxford graduate, unconscious of his own privilege, but Simon Mason made them both into real people with problems strengths and motivations that went beyond the labels and stereotypes and which also gave them the right mix of skills to solve the murder.
The murder mystery is intriguing and surprising. The plot was structured to display a variety of aspects of Oxford University, from the fundraising efforts of the pompous provost, through the sneering rivalries of the academics, to the world of the porters and kitchen staff. The suspect pool was rich. The plot twists were satisfying. I didn’t even get close to guessing who the murderer was, but by the end of the book I was invested in the futures of both detectives. I’ll be back for more soon.
When former serial killer Carol takes her place in a luxury retirement home, she begins to find her feet with a small new group of friends. If she can only keep her past hidden, maybe she has a chance at happiness.
That’s when she discovers that, absurdly, every other one of Sheldon Oaks’ residents was involved in the law somehow. It’s not long before her true identity is leaked, and when a former police commissioner resident is murdered, naturally all eyes turn to her…
Now she must solve the case to prove her innocence – just as her new friends start their own investigations into whether there is more than one killer at Sheldon Oaks.
Based on the publisher’s summary, this should have been a book I got a great deal of enjoyment from. It appeared to have all the ingredients for a satifying read: a ‘retired’ serial killer in an old people’s home, old people with disregarded skills banding together to play amateur sleuth, all lubricated with a little humour. Sadly, like a sponge cake made with margarine instead of butter, this novel promised more than it delivered. I was very disappointed.
My review is HERE
Tell me the worst thing you’ve ever done.
On Christmas Eve, in a hotel on Ireland’s west coast, a man and a woman meet for the first time. As a snowstorm gathers outside windows twinkling with fairy lights, they share a meal, pour wine, propose a toast.
Janice and Gerry may be strangers to one another, but they each have a confession to make.
As the blizzard howls, the night will take an unexpected turn, and their conversation will have consequences far beyond the candlelit table . . .
‘The Winter Guest’ (2026) was a delight. An ideal novella for listening to while curled up somewhere warm on a Winter’s day. I recommend you clear your schedule to listen to this all the way through (two hours and twenty-eight minutes) because, once you start, you’re not going to want to stop until you’ve found out where these confessions are leading.
My review is HERE
This week, I bought four books: Veronica Roth’s launch of an alternative version of ‘Divergent’, Linda McFadden’s latest thriller, horror novel about fans camping out on the locations of horror movies and the sequel to ‘Killing November’.
The Sixth Faction’ (2026) seems to be Veronica Roth’s equivalent of Taylor Swift re-recording (and improving) her early albums. Stephen King did something similar with ‘The Stand’. I think it’s a brave thing to take a phenomenally successful debut novel and say to yourself, “I think I could do better.” I loved the original version, but it feels like a book from a different age. The reviews I’ve read have been positive, so I’m going into this hoping for something thought-provoking.
‘The Witch’ (2026) is a roll of the dice. The only Freida McFadden book I’ve read is ‘Do Not Disturb’, which I found deeply disappointing. I’ve heard good things about ‘The Witch ‘, and I enjoyed the audiobook sample, so I’m giving it a try. If I like it, maybe I’ll dig ‘The Housemaid’ out of my TBR pile.
‘The October Film Haunt’ (2025) has an intriguing premise. Michael Wehunt has been nominated for a Shirley Jackson award multiple times. I alread have his novel most recent novel ‘Nightjars’ (2026) on my shelves. I’m looking forward to reading this book on a dark winter’s night.
‘Hunting November (2020) is the sequel to ‘Killing November’. I’m expecting an entertaining thriller, and I want to see what November does next.
Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives.
She has a plan: she’s going to make the bravest choice and leave Abnegation to join Dauntless, even though it means abandoning her family.
But when tragedy strikes at her choosing ceremony, everything changesher world, her plans, even Beatrice herself.
Her decision will thrust her into the crosshairs of an underground rebellion, where a boy with secrets as dangerous as her owna boy with only a number for a namemay be the only person she can trust.
One choice will change everything.
When Julia Barlow loses her job and her apartment, she has nowhere left to go but Pemberton, her family’s sprawling seventeenth-century estate in rural Massachusetts. Officially, she’s there to check in on her aging grandmother. Unofficially, she’s hoping the old house will give her a place to disappear
Instead, Pemberton begins to unravel her.
Every night, the grandfather clock stops at exactly 3:41 a.m. The lights flicker without warning. And a disembodied voice cries for help outside Julia’s bedroom door.
As Julia digs into the house’s dark history, she uncovers the story of a woman executed for witchcraft in 1692―and realizes the past may not be finished with Pemberton yet. When decades of family lies begin to surface, Julia must confront a terrifying truth: Pemberton may be haunted by women whose voices refuse to stay silent.
Ten years ago, Jorie Stroud was the rising star of the October Film Haunt – a trio of horror enthusiasts who camped out at the filming locations of their favorite scary movies, sharing their love through their popular blog. But after a night in the graveyard from Proof of Demons – perhaps the most chilling cult film ever made, directed by the enigmatic Hélène Enriquez – everything unraveled.
Now, Jorie has built an isolated life with her young son in Vermont. In the devastating wake of her viral, truth-stretching Proof of Demons blog entry — hysteria, internet backlash, and the death of a young woman — Jorie has put it all, along with her intense love for the horror genre, behind her.
Until a videotape arrives in the mail. Jorie fears someone might be filming her. And the “Rickies” – Enriquez obsessives who would do anything for the reclusive director – begin to cross lines in shocking ways. It seems Hélène Enriquez is making a new kind of sequel…and Jorie is her final girl.
As the dangers grow even more unexpected and strange, Jorie must search for answers before the Proof of the movie’s title finds her and takes everything she loves.
After surviving a crash course in espionage at the mysterious Academy Absconditi, November has only one purpose: finding her missing father. Along with fellow student (and heartthrob) Ash, November follows the clues that her father left, embarking on the deadliest treasure hunt of her life.
The first clue is in her hometown, where old friends beckon and unexpected enemies lurk around every corner.
The second clue is in Europe, where revelations about her family’s history will plunge her into an international web of deception, lies, and intrigue.
The third clue is deep in enemy territory, surrounded by the most skilled assassins and master strategists, and where everyone wants her and her father dead.
Can one girl with limited training infiltrate a centuries-old organization that is powerful enough to topple empires?
November only knows that she’ll do whatever it takes to save her father . . . or die trying.
My reading this week is going to be wide ranging. I have a novel about a neurodivergent character with a knack for getting himself arrested while trying to do the right this, a nuanced story about love and companionship between a widow and a widower, the second Adam Dalgleish novel and the first book in The Country Club Murders series.
On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”
So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?
As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.
Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.
I have a soft spot for stories with neurodivergent characters as the protagonist. Add in a blind and deaf St. Bernard and life peculiarities of life in rural Minnesota and Andrew Eiden’s Audie Award nominated narration and this book is irresistable.
In the familiar setting of Holt, Colorado, home to all of Kent Haruf’s inimitable fiction, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters.
Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis’s wife.
His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with.
I picked up this novella after reading THIS REVIEW on BurfoBookish’s blog. I listened to the audiobook sample and was immediately hooked.
When he is called to the scene of a gruesome murder at a psychiatry clinic in London, he finds it in lockdown: no one has entered or left the building since the discovery of the body. So, it figures, the culprit must be amongst the people before him.
As Dalgliesh quickly discovers, however, the intricate web of lies and grudges among the staff and patients at the Steen Clinic cast confusing shadows. Amid all that deceit, could the killer be preparing to strike again?
‘A Mind to Murder‘ (1963) is the second Adam Dalgliesh book. It’s another locked room mystery, this time set in a psychiatric hospital. I’m looking for to listening to P.D. James’ quiet, precise prose and Daniel Weyman’s nuanced narration.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death.
The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes – kinky sex, petty cruelties, and blackmail. As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer.
But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
‘The Deep End‘ (2016) looks like it’s a cosy mystery, something to be read with a smile and appreciated for its snark. I’m a quarter of the way through this book and it’s far from cosy. Set amongst the Kansas City Country Club set in 1974, it’s a well-written, perceptive, character-driven story about a woman who has been betrayed by her husband and who finds herself a suspect in a murder. I’m already cheering for Ellison. I glad to see that, so far, there are twenty-two books in this series.
