Edge of Honor

 

Edge of Honor was published several days ago on July 1, 2025. I have read each book in this Scot Harvath spy series so I just had to get a copy of this book. The book meets the requirements of the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge for the publication month category.

The publisher's summary:

After six months abroad, America’s top spy returns to a new administration, a new set of global priorities, and a power struggle—the likes of which the United States has never experienced.

Drawn into a web of deceit and deadly politics, Scot Harvath is thrust into a high-stakes conspiracy that could change the course of history. A cabal of shadowy elites is maneuvering for control and if they succeed, they will bring the country to its knees.

When trust is fleeting and survival means making impossible decisions, Harvath finds himself at the precipice. The actions he takes will shape the future of America—and might cost him everything he holds dear.

With enemies at every turn, one wrong move could push the nation over the edge.

This was a fun read. The suspense wasn't as intense as earlier books in the series but the plot still moved quickly. Harvath's character has mellowed since his marriage to Solvi and I think that's a good sign of character growth. Many readers of this series may disagree, wanting Harvath to remain a hardcore spy. However, with 24 books published already, it is past time for Harvath to develop as a character. How has he mellowed? First of all, Harvath took second place in the ambassador's protection. He was not in charge of the details unless the plan didn't work and Harvath had to improvise. Secondly, his dialogue with Solvi showed her to be his equal. He joked about calling Solvi's boss to report her transgressions. I was surprised to see him defer to her on several occasions. 

The plot seemed to be ripped from today's newspapers. There was a mass shooting near the Vice President’s mansion, a populist president with supporters who behave similar to MAGAists, disloyal Secret Service and FBI officers, and a nation divided by ideology. The Iranians were suspected of killing the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense in one evening attack. Their deaths were attributed to heart attacks but Harvath didn't buy that reasoning. This part of the story reminded me of the recent Israeli attacks in Iran killing military leaders in one evening. It was not Iran, however. 

Edge of Honor is a fun and fast read. Mystery lovers will enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn

I knew when I picked up this book that it would stretch my reading potential. Here, we have a paranormal investigator who looks into mysteries to solve. I was unprepared, though, for how bizarre this book really is. It is way different than my usual fare of thrillers and historical mysteries but I thought I should stretch my mind. 

The publisher's summary:

Oscar Zahn is just like any other paranormal investigator—he’s working hard to make the world a better place, one exorcism at a time. So what if he’s just a floating skull wearing a trench coat? He’s still got a heart of gold!

In this first installment of the online webcomic sensation The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, join Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.

Readers will love this beautifully illustrated paranormal graphic novel from Tri Vuong, the beloved creator of Webtoon’s The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.

This volume collects episodes 1–65 of the Webtoon comic The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.

The book contains eight short graphic stories that feature character Oscar Zahn. Out of the eight stories, the three about WWI were my favorites. All of them were about different characters in the Battle of the Somme. When I say that they were my favorites, I am really saying that I understood them. I knew what was happening. Not so with the other five stories. They were beyond my ability to understand. I cannot fault the author for writing a genre that I don't normally read so there will be no rating of the book. I am sure that there is a market for this kind of book as I have read many positive reviews of it. If you are into paranormal comics, you may enjoy it.

Profane

This 2024 publication of the Profane comic collects releases 1 through 5. It's a well drawn and colored comic in a 8" x 11" softcover book. The main character is Will Profane, a well-dressed African American. He believes that he is a private detective who has been tasked with finding the killer of Spud Coltrane. Profane soon realizes that instead he's actually a fictional character in a story written by Coltrane. 

Profane pursues his investigation into Coltrane's murder but begins having thoughts about where he himself stands as a person given that Coltrane cannot continue to write about his character. Will he die? The main suspects into the murder are Ken Kane, Spud’s professional rival, Lili Macbeth, a beautiful nightclub singer and Red Glove, Profane’s nemesis who is determined to escape his tormented existence of losing to Will again and again. As Profane begins crossing suspects off his list, he worries that  someone from the world of non-fiction can become a suspect.

I thought it was funny that Profane was not a real person but, rather, a fictional character. The author was creative to come up with this idea. Another aspect of Profane's character that I enjoyed was his witty personality. It made reading his dialogue fun. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much the artwork contributed to my enjoyment of the book. The comic strip panels were beautifully colored by Giada Marchisio and I even liked the font. 

All in all, Profane was a fantastic read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Into the Leopard's Den

Into the Leopard's Den is the 4th Bangalore Detectives Club Mystery. The series takes place in 1920s India and features Kaveri Murtha as the main character. Initially this installment of the series Kaveri investigates several murders occurring in Bangalore and Coorg. The book was published on July 1, 2025.

The publisher's summary:

Bangalore, 1922: Pregnant and confined to the house by her protective mother-in-law, Kaveri Murthy has resolved to take a break from detection. But when an elderly woman is murdered at night and dies clutching a photograph of Kaveri while asking for her help—how can she refuse? Missing the assistance of her husband Ramu, who is working in Coorg, Kaveri investigates her new case with her able assistants, milk boy Venu and housemaid Anandi. They find a trail of secrets that lead them to suspect the killer may be in Coorg.

Eager to be reunited with her husband, Kaveri sets off to Coorg to investigate. When she arrives, she encounters a thorny thicket of cases. Why does a ghost leopard prowl the forests at night, terrorizing the plantation workers? And who is trying to kill Colonel Boyd, the Coffee King of Coorg? She finds suspects in every coffee bush and estate—from Boyd’s surly plantation manager and security guard to the feuding brothers who own the neighboring plantation—and the many women the Coffee King has pursued and abandoned.

When two vulnerable children appeal for her help, Kaveri is drawn deeper into the case, becoming emotionally involved in finding the killer. Soon, one murder turns into two—and then a few days later into three. Now the killer has tasted blood and needs to be stopped. Racing against time, Kaveri must take on her most complex challenge so far, with the assistance of Anandi and Venu in Bangalore, and with Ramu and Inspector Ismail in Coorg. In this stunning new novel by an acclaimed master of the form, the Bangalore Detectives Club must find and expose a brutally intelligent killer before they strike again.

I have read every book in the series and loved getting reacquainted with the characters. Kaveri was a little less aggressive in this particular investigation, obviously because she was 8 to 9 months pregnant. Kaveri used to avoid her mother in law as much as possible. Now she enjoys the pampering she receives from her. Her husband Rami took a more active roll in the investigation than normal. He loves her enough to stop what he's doing to help assuage Kaveri's curiosity about the case. It's lovely to see this happening, particularly because it wasn't typical for the era.

The murders kept piling up giving Kaveri 5 mysteries to solve. She didn't get far though. All she was able to do was eliminate several suspects. Inspector Ismail, an old friend, worked out the identity of the killer but received some assistance from Rami and Kaveri. A re-occurring fear among the residents has to do with several sightings of an albino leopard cub. The fear is that this ghost will eat children. It plays a part in the mystery but you will never guess what that is! The story ended with Kaveri delivering a baby girl. It was a sweet ending for this tale. As I was reading I got the feeling that this series is a cozy. I have never categorized it before as a cozy historical mystery but it fits well.

5 out of 5 stars.

Part of the Solution

I received an advanced review copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on July 14, 2025.

The publisher's summary: 

It's 1978, and Jennifer Morgan, a sassy New Yorker, has escaped to the counterculture village of Flanders, Massachusetts. Her peaceful life is disrupted when one of her customers at the Café Galadriel is found dead. Everyone is a suspect—including the gentle artisan woodworker, the Yeats-wannabe poet, the town's anti-war hero, the peace-loving Episcopalian minister, and the local organic farmer who can hold a grudge.

Concern for her community prompts Jennifer to investigate the murder with the sometimes-reluctant help of Ford McDermott, a young police officer. Little does she know that the solution lies in the hidden past.

Part of the Solution blends snappy dialogue, unconventional settings, and a classic oldies soundtrack, capturing the essence of a traditional whodunnit in a counterculture era. ​

I have a rule that I cease reading a book if I am not interested by page fifty. With this book page 50 is where the story took off. This is when the murder occurred. The investigation though was slow, even nonexistent, until page 175. 

While I am over 60 and am familiar with the hippie language and outlook on life, I doubt that younger readers will understand or even care about it. There was too much culture written in to the story and not enough action. Dialogue between the characters on topics unrelated to solving the murder was prominent. In fact, too prominent. There was little action other than the characters talking together and working. A good writing tip would be to use only 2 or 3 hippie idioms and concentrate on solving the crime. A writer can always add more culture in future books. It's best not to go overboard with the culture. It confuses the reader.

Jennifer Morgan is the protagonist. I know this because of the publisher's summary. Her 7 or 8 friends have equal billing in the book though. It's hard to tell who is supposed to be in charge of the investigation. Of course there wasn't much of an investigation either by the police or the characters. 

I was disappointed with this book. It had several problems. There was no main character, no investigation and way too much culture. 2 out of 5 stars.

The Master Jeweller

Weina Dai Randel published the Empress Wu duology in 2016. It was a smash success. My reviews of The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon were chart topping. Her next book was The Last Rose of Shanghai which was published in 2021. She has written another fantastic story of a young Chinese teenager who is on her own at 16 after her mother’s death.

The publisher's summary:

Harbin, China, 1925. Fifteen-year-old Anyu Zhang discovers a priceless Fabergé egg in the snow and returns it to the owner, Isaac Mandelburg, a fugitive and former master jeweler for Russia’s imperial palace. In gratitude, he leaves her his address in Shanghai and a promise of hospitality, forever altering her fate.

A dazzling world of jewelry shrouded in secrecy and greed awaits, when later Anyu arrives at Mandelburg’s jewelry shop as an orphan. Single-minded and relentless, Anyu will stop at nothing until she masters the craft of jewelry making. But she soon finds herself entangled in the treacherous underbelly of the city, where violent gangsters stalk the streets, vicious rivals seek to exploit her, and obsessive collectors conspire to destroy the people she loves.

From snow-crowned land to diamond-sparkling showrooms to a pristine island on the brink of war, The Master Jeweler chronicles an exciting journey of a bold prodigy artisan―including her losses and triumphs―in a glamorous yet perilous world of treasure.

At first I thought that the story was slow in the beginning. Anyu did not even know that she wanted to be a jeweler until one third of the way into the story. I was expecting a quicker transition for her and thought that her life story would begin when she was making jewelry. To understand Anyu's decision-making, though, the reader needs to know about her childhood.

I loved reading about the different types of techniques utilized in crafting jewelry from drilling, chasing,  filing metal, cuttlefish casting, enameling, and lost-wax casting. Other techniques included metal using roller printing, reticulation, and etching techniques. Some learning about gemstones was also part of her education. I also enjoyed reading about Anyu learning to handle the tools in order to get the results she wanted.

The ugly part of Anyu's life was the discrimination she experienced from the Chinese warlords and the Japanese soldiers. Anyu has what we Americans call "true grit." Nothing stopped her from achieving her goals. Once Anyu became a jeweler she had to deal with gangsters demanding protection money as well as competitors taking advantage of her. 

The Master Jeweler is a masterpiece of writing that historical fiction fans will love.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Story She Left Behind

I chose this novel for the Key Word Reading Challenge. The book was published on March 18, 2025. Inspired by a true literary mystery, its a story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

The publisher's summary:

In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beautiful mother.

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.

This was an intriguing story. The mystery to be solved concerns Clara's mother. Clara knows she is dead but hopes that she isn't. Clara also hopes to find the language that Bronwyn created so that she can translate Bronwyn's sequel. The details are revealed slowly. The author builds up the mystery with plenty of suspense that kept me reading until I finished the book in one sitting.

The setting description of London on the 1950s was awful to imagine. The air was polluted from the use of coal that people couldn't see more than 3 feet in front of them. Londoners always had handkerchiefs to cover their mouths so that they would not choke yo death. For our characters, Wynnie almost died twice. Clara had to give her injections of medicine to keep Wynnie's asthma under control. England's bad air is a historical fact and resulted in the Parliament enacting a clean air act in the late 1950s.

The story had a feel-good ending. I am happy that it ended this way because the author could have chosen a number of different endings that would be plausible. I loved the book and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Holy Roller

I found this newly published comic while browsing at Barnes and Noble. It has an interesting premise. Pro bowler Levi Coen must quit his job and return to his hometown in order to care for his ailing father. He discovers that the town is now run by neo-nazis. Levi becomes a vigilante hero who smashes people's faces with a bowling ball. He only uses balls from his bowling ball collection to defend himself. Levi then battles to liberate the town and becomes the Holy Roller.  This edition, 978-1-5343-9732-3, collects all nine issues of The Holy Roller. It was published in March 2025.

The story begins with Levi as a child, then as a sailor. We don't see him deciding to be a superhero until a third of the way into the story. Levi's father was a pro bowler too and his father is upset that Levi didn't bowl professionally. Levi is Jewish. The nazi town leaders do not like him so they burned down his father's house, leaving them with no where to live. This is when Levi becomes a superhero. 

The artwork was fantastic! However, some of the pages showed violent scenes as well as the victims with their heads bashed in and bleeding. Young readers may not want to see these images. Also, there is alot of salty language that may be inappropriate for young readers. I love how Levi dispensed justice by slamming people with the bowling ball. It was comical. There was alot of humor written into the story too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this comic and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Kill Your Darlings

I discovered Peter Swanson two years ago and love his heart-pounding thrillers. Kill Your Darlings was just recently published on June 10, 2025 and it's a different kind of mystery. It's a murder mystery in reverse, tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret the couple shares.

The publisher's summary:

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. They live in a beautiful Victorian on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom teaches English literature at a nearby university. Their son, Jason, is all grown up. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband.

What happens next has everything to do with what happened before. The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.

Eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early twenties, a secret that has kept them bound together through the length of their marriage. But its power over them is fraying, and each of them begins to wonder if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries their secrets to the grave.

I expected the book to be about a crime and cover up because of the genre the author writes. However, it's really about the end of Thom and Wendy's marriage. The story opens in the year 2023 and is told in reverse until the year 1982, when Thom and Wendy, who share a birthday, met at the age of fourteen. Toward the end we find out what their secret is. Even though the story unravels slowly, I was engaged until the 70% mark. After that I just wanted to be done with the book. As a character study of a marriage it's brilliantly written. However, this author usually writes psychological thrillers so my expectation was that Kill Your Darlings would follow that format. I am disappointed with the book but realize how well the end of the marriage was revealed. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Cover of the Month: June

I chose two books covers this month. Both have a bright yellow background with one black item on the cover. This design is distinctive.

The Butter book cover was designed by Emma Pidsley. She is a senior designer at Penguin General. After earning a bachelor's degree in english literature from Exeter University in 2014, she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Design for Visual Communication from the London College of Communication in 2016.

I was not able to uncover the name  of the cover designer for The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagorus. This series is published by Open Road Media. It has a dedicated brand for mystery and thriller books called Murder and Mayhem. The Pot Thief series combines humor with whodunnits. I have read 2 of them and they were fantastic 

Book of the Month: June

Butter by Asako Yuzuki is my best book for June. Butter is the story of a young Japanese female serial killer who was known for her culinary skills. Manako Kanjii was convicted of killing three elderly men whom she had been dating and promised to marry. Kanjii was a foodie who loved international brands of butter. She used the money she received from the men to buy these expensive brands of butter as well as to enroll in culinary school. 

The story is based upon a real life killer in Japan The story follows a Tokyo journalist who starts interviewing Manako in hope that her story will be printed on the first page of the weekly magazine that she writes for. It's an amazing read.

I have 22 books set aside for next month. It's an ambitious program but I just might get it done.

We Called Them Giants

I purchased a hard back of this comic last week. It was satisfying to hold an actual book in my hands. Usually I read ebooks. Turning the pages felt surreal but that matched the dystopian nature of the story.

The main character is Lori. She is a recently adopted teenager who awakens one morning to a mysteriously depopulated world. Lori had heard about the rapture from friends and neighbors but doesn't believe that is why everyone disappeared. She calls it the not-rapture event. Lori ventures outside and finds storefronts and other businesses devoid of employees. Most of the food shelves are bare. A few days later, while rummaging for food, Lori comes across her best friend Annette. They decide to stay together in a cave and forage for food daily. There are gangs, monsters and aliens that they must avoid in order to stay alive. Along the way they meet an elderly lady in the same circumstances and join forces with her. She knows the red giant and the green giant and how they operate. The red giant is benevolent while the green giant exudes evil. You can probably see where this story is going.

We Called Them Giants was a finalist for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic. I am rating it five out of five stars.

Bad Lands

I selected this book for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It was published on June 3, 2025 and is the 5th Nora Kelly mystery by the authors.When I began reading the book this afternoon, I was planning on reading just 3 or 4 chapters. That plan became impossible. I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the story. It's a gripping thriller with plenty of setting references to the climate of New Mexico and Indian artifacts. 

The publisher's summary:

In the New Mexico badlands, the skeleton of a woman is found—and the case is assigned to FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. The victim walked into the desert, shedding clothes as she went, and died in agony of heatstroke and thirst. Two rare artifacts are found clutched in her bony hands—lightning stones used by the ancient Chaco people to summon the gods. 

Is it suicide or… sacrifice? 

Agent Swanson brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate. When a second body is found—exactly like the other—the two realize the case runs deeper than they imagined. As Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, haunted ruins, and long-lost rituals, they find themselves confronting a dark power that, disturbed from its long slumber, threatens to exact an unspeakable price. 

I didn't have huge expectations for the novel as I felt earlier books in the Nora Kelly series were OK, not great. Badlands is the exception. The plot doesn't just center on the Nora character but significantly includes her younger brother Skip and his newfound buddy Edison Nash, FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, University of New Mexico professor Carlos Oskarbi and his adoring female students. A few secondary characters added salt to this brew. Emma Bluebird was my favorite. She is a gun-toting, elderly Navajo Indian woman who distrusts white people. When Nora and Corrie knock on her door, they are greeted with a shotgun. She doesn't speak much English but is able to give them a clue for their investigation. They are looking into the deaths of two women, both doctors in archeology. Both women had been walking through a wilderness area, took of all their clothes, and collapsed into the hot sands of the Gallina Canyon to die. Emma is always in control of the conversation and uses that shotgun to tell the ladies when their meeting is over.

The artifacts that are used in the plot are called lightening stones. When they are rubbed together, a soft light emerges. The stones are rare. Only two pair of them are known to exist but it is presumed that there are many in the wilderness areas of the state. As the story progresses, we learn more and more about them. The Gallina people, who existed up to 1200 BC, used them in religious rituals. 

The plot was complex. While the story opened with the death of an unknown woman in the wilderness, it quickly moves to identify her and another body as well as what connected them. Both were professors at the University of New Mexico and while still studying were known to be groupies of Dr. Carlos Oskarbi. Here the plot takes off in several different arcs.

Badlands may be my favorite Preston and Childs novel. It's the most thrilling tale I've read from them to date and I am happy to give it high marks. 5 out of 5 stars.