Plum Deadly

In this cozy mystery, a young woman is framed by her boss for embezzlement and she flees to her aunt’s pie shop. When her ex-boss turns up dead on their doorstep she must start her own investigation to find the killer before he finds her.

The publisher's summary:

Who could resist such pies? Who would even want to resist the pie shop that makes them? Certainly not the residents of Durham, North Carolina, and the little bakery and café called Pie in the Sky is one of the most popular meet-up places in town.

Unjustly accused of cooking the books, Maggie Grady is forced to retreat from her high-flying New York financial career to the town where she grew up. Her aunt Clara greets her with open arms and a job at the family-owned business that has baked the best pies in the South for over forty years. Unfortunately, while Maggie is determined to return to banking, her reputation there seems permanently in the pits. That is, until her old boss, Lou, visits with news that he’s found the real crook. Before he can reveal the details, though, Maggie finds his body right behind the pie shop.

With only her own word that Lou planned to exonerate her, Maggie is in the spotlight. The police seem to suspect that Aunt Clara’s damson pie may not be just dangerously delectable, but downright deadly. Maggie doesn’t just have her own name to clear; she has to make sure that her aunt’s beloved business isn’t harmed, either. Yummy local reporter Ryan Summerour appears eager to help, and Maggie can’t help hoping that it’s not just the police who find her a person of interest—but Ryan, as well. She’d thought it challenging to make the perfect pie crust that Aunt Clara demands, but that turns out to be nothing compared with finding a murderer. . . .

I enjoyed reading the book. The beginning was interesting and fast paced as was the ending. However the middle of the story was rather slow. 

Maggie seemed to have changed her behaviors quickly. When she held a corporate banking job Maggie spent alot of money on maintaining a lifestyle. She didn't save any money which is odd given her career. Once she lost that job and had to return home Maggie became the complete opposite. She saved a few dollars and focused on her aunt’s business. She worked hard in the kitchen as well as serving customers. Turning over this new leaf felt bizarre to me. Would most people learn this lesson this quickly? 

Maggie's love interest is newspaper reporter Ryan. I didn't care much for him or their sexual exploits. Her aunt Clara was my favorite character. Clara is always positive and never gives up. She is the successful senior business owner that many culinary cozies entertain. 

All in all Plum Deadly was a good read. The author has established good characters and the fun setting of a pie shop. I think future books in the series will only improve. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Decaf Deceit

Decaf Deceit is the sixth Brown's Grounds Mystery. This cozy mystery was released on July 14, 2026. The series features Monica Brown as the amateur sleuth. Monica owns a popular coffee truck in Millpond.

The publisher's summary:

In Millpond, Monica Brown's mornings run on a simple recipe: a hot cup, a friendly smile through the order window, and a sheriff who flirts in $5.80 increments. The recipe does not include a swollen jaw, a stolen prescription, and a dead woman holding a slip of paper with Monica's name on it.

When Tawny Clifford, owner of Cliff's Boutique and one of Millpond's least-loved residents, turns up dead in her office, the rumor mill points everywhere at once. Tawny had enemies. She also, apparently, had hydrocodone in her system. The same hydrocodone Monica was prescribed after her wisdom teeth came out. The same hydrocodone that's mysteriously short two pills.

Sheriff Nathan Thomas wants to believe her. The Edgewater Community Council does not. And as Monica digs through a snobby tennis club, a boutique full of secrets, and a regular customer who knows a little too much, she realizes the most dangerous person in Millpond might be the one who looks the most harmless.

Because the strongest brew isn't always the one that gets you. It's the one you'd never see coming.

While the book is only 144 pages the author has written a crisp story that follows the mystery format perfectly. The death occurs early and there are several twists and one amazing red herring. I liked the characters. Monica is a tough lady who always says what she means. She doesn't have much of a filter. Monica is romantically involved with the sheriff. Sheriff Nathan is a pushover but he's a good friend to have especially when people suspect you of killing someone. The deceased was an obnoxious wealthy woman who loved throwing her weight around.

Monica decided to be proactive in her investigation. It was better to solve the crime than let the police drag their heels. She took big risks to learn everything she could about the deceased. She felt that this was the best approach to begin gathering information. Her observation skills were prominent, especially in the beginning with the details she remembered about each of her customers.

If there is anything unbelievable about the book its Monica's ability to return to work the day after having all four wisdom teeth removed in one surgery. I was a mess for several weeks after having one removed many years ago. This was a suspension of belief too far for me to go.

Decaf Deceit was a fun, relaxing read. Cozy lovers will enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Death at a Scottish Halloween

This is the fifth Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly. It was just published on August 11, 2026 and features Dr. Emilia McRoy as the "amateur" sleuth. Amateur is in quotes because Em is a physician who also functions as the town coroner. These jobs give her access to alot of information she normally wouldn't have, making her sleuthing much easier. In this Halloween themed story, Em finds a dead body in a haunted house.

The publisher's summary:

It’s the week of Halloween—or as they say in Scotland, All Hallows' Eve—and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy loves being part of her new community and is eager to help out in any way she can. But the festivities are interrupted when she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house. A real one. They’re too late to save the victim, but they’ll do whatever it takes to find his killer. 

There’s just one problem: There are too many suspects. Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of the investigations, but that isn’t how Dr. Em rolls. As she and her gang investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something—and has no problem murdering anyone who gets in the way of finding it. 

Dr. Em must stay one step ahead if she’s to survive this Halloween season alive—either that or she might just end up the next victim.

The story opened with the Haunted House Festival in full swing. Em and Abigail created a spooky autopsy room with a knife stuck in a fake dead body. Em used a knife from her kitchen and when the event was over for the day she looked for her knife. It was gone. By the end of the night a dead body was discovered; the body of Duncan Craig. The festival continued the next day but when Em arrived back home she found another dead body propped up against her door. His name was also Duncan Craig. 

The investigation began with the autopsies that Em performed. She also was able to obtain information at the local pub where the residents of Sea Isle imbibe most days and evenings. Nothing is a secret in this small village. Her first priority was to determine whether the deaths were connected. Usually Constable Ewen is a source of at least some information but in this installment of the series he primarily provided security at the public events as well as at Em's house. The locals continued to inquire whether the two of them were in a romance.

The story moved along at a nice pace with all of the twists and turns that I have come to expect from this author. It was a fun read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Dog Days

Dog Days is a love story between a Korean couple and their dogs. Told in graphic novel format, the memoir details the author's own adoption of dogs beginning with Carrot. Potato arrives a year later and later Choco joined the family. 

Synopsis

Yuna never wanted to adopt a dog. But with her partner in mourning–and in desperate need of a boost in morale–she gives in to his humble request. And in the grand tradition of reluctant pet owners, she and their puppy soon become inseparable. The young couple even goes so far as to relocate to soothe their new canine pal’s anxiety. After all, there’s nothing like a move to the country to set yourself right. Right?

The idyll of a quiet life soon gives way to a surprising degree of antagonism, including clashes with long-time local residents of a different generation. The culture shock is palpable for all three urban transplants as the isolation of their new environs starts to sink in. They eventually adopt another dog, and still another–all while reckoning with the ups and downs of middle-age and childlessness in an unforgivingly traditional milieu.

My Thoughts 

I loved the story as would any animal lover. The Korean setting adds depth for us westerners. The way Koreans view pets differs in the countryside in a way I never imagined. In Seoul, pet owners are just like their western counterparts. However, residents in the rural areas view dogs as something to kill and eat. If a dog runs wild it is possible that it could be picked up by anyone and killed. Also, some folks put wild dogs in crates waiting for the village dog butcher to come for them or leave them chained up outside in inclement weather. Hun and Yuna were shocked when they found this out. Their move out of Seoul was for the benefit of Carrot. They wanted him to be able to get lots of exercise but soon realized that Carrot would need to stay on a leash for his protection.

I enjoyed seeing the couple learn to be good pet owners as well as interact with other dogs they came across on their walks with Carrot. Potato was left in a box on their doorstep and they decided to keep him. Both Hun and Yuna tried to read the dogs' behaviors in order to figure out what the dogs wanted from them. A few years later Choco was another rescue they took care of. In the end, Choco was adopted by a relative.

Dog Days is a cute animal story. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #55

This weekly meme is hosted by the Wishful Endings blog. The meme spotlights the books that we are excited about but have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a sequel to Matcha on Monday. It is a collection of six short stories by Japanese author Michiko Aoyama. This type of book is known as a healing book. Each of the stories has a character learn something new about themselves. There isn't much mystery but rather character development. Most of the characters appear in all six stories and it's always interesting to see how the story arcs intersect. A cat usually involved in the plot.

I have been searching for a copy of this book for several weeks. I finally ordered it from Amazon and will probably read one chapter every evening. Her next book will be published in March 2027!

Landing in Place

Landing in Place is a coming of age story in graphic novel format. Anisa is the main character. She is an Egyptian American teen trying to excel just like her older sister Reem, a medical doctor. The book was published on May 19, 2026 and was written for kids over the age of twelve.

Synopsis 

Anisa is the American child of two Egyptian immigrants. Her father is a pilot and is gentle. Her mother criticizes Anisa constantly. Anisa graduates high school one year early and is lucky to be admitted to Reem’s alma mater. Her parents insist that she take the same pre-med track that Reem passed with flying colors. Anisa wants to study art but her parents don't believe art is a good career choice. After flunking out of her first college semester Anisa joins Reem in Egypt where Reem is undergoing an internship in kidney medicine. Here Anisa's eyes are opened to the social and religious expectations of her as a Muslim woman.

My Thoughts 

The book tells a compelling story about second generation immigrants. While Anisa's father has religious beliefs that he keeps to himself, her mother smokes, cusses and abhors politics and religion. None of her mother’s pronouncements bother Anisa until she returns home after a several months in Egypt. Anisa has been changed by living there and has begun to wear the hijab and attend prayers in the mosque. However, it is not explained why Anisa has had this transformation. Perhaps she just followed the Egyptian lifestyle but if that was the reason then Anisa should have given it all up when she returned to the U.S. This omission is a mistake in my opinion.

I did not understand the Islamic lifestyle. I am not a Muslim. After her transformation Anisa feels that kissing her Sikh boyfriend is a mistake because she wears the hijab. She feels that it gives Muslims a bad reputation in the eyes of the rest of the world. There is an unspoken theory that non-Muslims expect all Muslim women to be 100% chaste. Anisa's mother challenges her on this particular issue. I feel that the author should have expounded on this issue too. The book also contains commentary on the Islamic lifestyle from both practicing and non practicing Muslims. There is also alot of quotes from the Quran. They are translated into English  but I did not understand the meaning.

The book is a fast read. I felt it was lighthearted even though serious issues are portrayed. I enjoyed reading it and would like to see a sequel.  4 out of 5 stars.

Salvage

Salvage is a graphic romance. The plot follows two young artists whose paths intertwine as they navigate the complexities of love. It was published on July 21, 2026 and was written for those over the age of 14. 

The publisher's summary:

Paolo lives in the Flats, a dangerous, water-logged community where families survive by salvaging materials from skyscrapers hidden just beneath the ocean’s surface—remnants of a world before sea levels rose. Scavenging the depths comes with its risks, but when Paolo discovers a suitcase of designer clothes, he decides to fulfill his dream: To spend one night in the Uplands, a place of privilege, excess, and freedom. There he meets Jules and her friends, and what begins as a single night of reckless adventure turns into a secret double life—and a seemingly impossible romance that forces Paolo to reckon with who he is, where he belongs, and the importance of being true to himself.

My first impression of the story was that it was a little slow. I liked the beginning where we saw Paolo diving to find junk he can sell at the Vintage Market. The drawings show him entering waterlogged highrises that were buried after sea levels rose. Paolo looks for treasures people left in their homes. He always comes back with cool memorabilia that he and his parents can sell. The drawings from the Flats where Paolo lived reminded me of Thailand and Vietnam. It seemed like a nice place to live but, seriously, who wants to be poor? Only refugees from the climate crisis live in the Flats.

The story then moves to the Uplands where the rich reside. Paolo began taking a train to this area to see what it was really like. There were too many pages devoted to his visits. Eventually Paolo interacts with kids his age who all happen to be artists. The story picked up here but, again, there were too many pages with these interactions before Paolo finally meets Jules. They begin a relationship. Parents, there are only drawings of them kissing, nothing else. 

My favorite character was Kappa. He is Paolo’s best friend. I liked Paolo’s parents too. Unfortunately, Paolo was my third favorite character. When the main character is not likable, the story crumbles. The characters from the Uplands were extremely wealthy, spoiled and jaded teens. I did not like any of them and don't know why Paolo wanted to be like them. It’s interesting that these wealthy elite of the Uplands continued the behaviors of extraction and overconsumption that resulted in the sea levels rising.

Salvage is a visual masterpiece. The story is rendered in vibrant watercolor illustrations that the author painted. She used different colors for each neighborhood. The Flats are colored with a cool toned teal, red and orange palette. In contrast, the Uplands are presented in bright neon colors. The author did an amazing job with her illustrations.

Salvage is the classic social divide love story. It is a pleasant read but it should have been 100 pages shorter than its 246 pages. 3 out of 5 stars.

Silent Witness

Silent Witness is the third book in the Amish Book Club Mystery series. This cozy mystery was published this past Spring on May 26, 2026 and features Rosie Weaver as the amateur sleuth. Rosie is just one of several strong women in the series. She will solve crimes while remaining faithful to her church, which doesn't always like her poking her nose into other people's affairs.

The publisher's summary: 

Rosie Weaver has always relied on logic, discipline, and a strong cup of peppermint tea. But when her neighbor’s barn burns down, and a body is discovered inside, something about the scene feels wrong. The fire is ruled an accident, but the victim had more enemies than friends, and Rosie knows someone is hiding the truth.

The only witness? A kindhearted but non-verbal man whom the entire town has overlooked. And Rosie refuses to let his silence bury what he saw.

Pushed by instinct and the latest book club mystery, Rosie and her book club friends start asking questions no one else will. As resistance builds from her neighbors, outsiders, and even the sheriff, Rose realizes this fire may not be the last.

Can Rosie stop what’s smoldering beneath the silence before it ignites something far worse?

There is much to love about clean Amish mysteries. A writer does not need to use profanity or graphic violence to create a compelling story. Tracy Fredrychowski is one such author. Her use of a mystery book club among Amish women is a fun hook for her series. Amish traditionally don't join book clubs or read "Englischer" novels. Another aspect of this series that I like is the large number of strong female characters. Still, the flavor of an Amish story remains.

While Rosie is the main character, she relies on the other members of her book club to come up with evidence that the group then discusses at their meetings. In this installment of the series the ladies are reading Ashes of Magnolia Manor. In Ashes the detective  picked up on small details such as an old handkerchief and a hidden recipe to solve the crime. Rosie, Lovina and Irma decide to look for similar small details. As usual, the ladies solve the crime, not the sheriff.

 

The story opened with a fire that destroyed the Hostetler barn. There had been fires on the Mullet and Gingerich properties. The setting in Sweet Briar is important. More specifically the farms of the Mullet, Hostetler and Gingerich families are connected and well described. It's easy to see how someone can traverse each property. The past of these three, once close families brings us to the crux of the mystery.

I loved this story and highly recommend it to cozy mystery readers and fans of Amish fiction. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #54

This weekly meme is hosted by the Wishful Endings blog. The meme spotlights the books that we are excited about but have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released.

This past week I discovered that Emilia Hart of Weyward fame has another book coming out. The Enigmas will be published on April 6, 2027 so I have a long wait ahead of me. The story is told in a dual timeline from 1915 to 1940.

The 1915 story takes place in London with a lady named Alice treating wounded soldiers while her husband is off fighting in WWI. The Endell Street Hospital is London’s first medical center staffed entirely by female doctors. The horrors she witnesses awaken long-buried memories of her mother’s death, and a power she spent years trying to suppress. A power she now fears has taken hold in her eldest daughter, Beatrice. 

The contemporary story in 1940 is about a woman, Clemmie, who performs secret war work at a place called The Park. When she dies in a fire, Clemmie's sister Beatrice treasures her sister’s last gift: an antique pocket watch, inscribed with the words memento mori: remember death. The watch transports Beatrice back in time giving her a chance to save Clemmie. However, changing the past causes a ripple effect, and Beatrice is faced with a devastating choice: her sister’s life, or her country’s future?

I think that this novel has a wonderful plot and I'm looking forward to its release in seven months. So. . . what books are you anxiously awaiting to read?

Secrets Buried in the Ice

Secrets Buried in the Ice is the second book in the Snowy Alaskan Murder Mystery series. This cozy mystery series takes place in Frosthaven, Alaska and features Maggie Calloway as the amateur sleuth. Maggie moved to Alaska after retiring from her teaching career in Ohio.

In this installment of the series sled dog trainer Sully Sullivan is found dead along a frozen racing trail. Most of the residents of Frosthaven assumed that their brutal winters claimed another soul. However, Maggie noticed that Sully’s perfectly packed gear was unusual. Sully never packed anything very neatly. Also, she feels that the snow near his body had been brushed aside to erase someone's tracks. Maggie believes Sully was murdered.

Maggie has a twenty pound cat named Kodiak who travels everywhere she goes. Kodiak is by Maggie's side as she begins to ask questions around town. She is led into the dog mushing world where there are rivalries between the racers. There is an oncoming blizzard that will erase all the clues unless Maggie can solve this crime ASAP. I think these blizzards will be a part of every book in the series. It just seems natural. The whispers of a deed prohibiting any development near the track in Frosthaven in book 1 becomes clear in book 2. Sully held the deed. 

Maggie's former career as a schoolteacher helped her deal with adversary characters. On almost every page Maggie is thinking back to her classroom and how she dealt with students, other teachers and school administration. She instinctively knew how to handle difficult people. It was fascinating to see how she was able to use her skills in a different setting. There are 2 other smart women in the series. Harriet Miller works at the historical society and she helps Maggie with research. Harriet's help wasn't needed much in book 2. Sarah Jenkins is the new deputy sheriff. Between these three women, they can solve just about any mystery.

The writing is superb. The murder occurs in the first chapter. A villain is introduced in the second. Two motives are revealed in chapters 3 and 4 respectively and the sleuthing begins in chapter five. While the novel is a mere 146 pages, the author has written a crisp, fast paced mystery with eccentric characters that you would probably only find in Alaska. 

Secrets Buried in the Ice is a fun, fast read. Cozy lovers will want to read it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Heiress of Northanger Abbey

I have read and loved every novel Nancy Bilyeau has written. She is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. In The Heiress of Northanger Abbey Bilyeau has written something a little different. She has written a sequel to Jane Austen’s classic novel Northanger Abbey. The book was published on September 1, 2026.

The publisher's blurb:

Gloucestershire, 1820: Twenty-two years after the close of Northanger Abbey, Catherine Tilney seems to be living a happily ever after. But her busy life as a clergyman’s wife is shattered by a letter that resurrects her darkest fears. Her daughter Phoebe has fallen under the influence of the unscrupulous Thorpe family—the very figures who once nearly destroyed Catherine’s happiness.

Determined to protect her child from dangerous fortune hunters, Catherine follows Phoebe to an isolated manor on Dartmoor. There, she finds a landscape of reckless passions, family secrets, and a dangerously charming aristocratic neighbor. It all feels eerily like the plot of the latest Gothic sensation, The Vampyre — but is Catherine once again letting her imagination run wild?

In this psychologically charged sequel to Jane Austen’s classic, award-winning historical novelist Nancy Bilyeau transforms Catherine’s youthful adventures into a mystery with the highest of stakes. The Heiress of Northanger Abbey is a story of mothers and daughters, deception and desire—and of a woman who must learn to trust her power of perception before it’s too late.

 

I LOVED this novel!  It is an excellent sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. When the book ends, Catherine Morland has just escaped from the clutches of Isabella Thorpe, a former close friend. Catherine is now Catherine Tilney, having married clergyman Henry Tilney. Henry's family owns Northanger Abbey and Henry's family is entitled to live there. However, Henry decides to reside in Woodston where his parish is located. His brother and sister in law have no children and want his daughter Phoebe to inherit the Abbey.

In this sequel Catherine's seventeen year old daughter Phoebe is the subject of a plot by John and Isabella Thorpe. They hope to marry Phoebe off to Lord Pomeroy who is having an affair with Isabella. If the marriage goes forth, Pomeroy will own Northanger Abbey and put Phoebe away. He will then install Isabella as the lady of the Abbey. Catherine believes that Isabella is up to no good and does not allow Phoebe to visit Isabella's daughter Charlotte without Catherine being present. It was interesting that Phoebe and Charlotte like to discuss gothic novels just as Isabella and Catherine used to. I enjoyed their dialogue concerning their favorite books.

The suspenseful gothic atmosphere helped me to continue reading the novel until I finished it in one sitting. It is mostly a fast paced story. The tension in the story was created by having a character who is a beautiful heiress along with several characters who are mysterious villains and who might try to trick her into marrying them. The unexplained screams that Catherine heard late at night also contributed to the atmosphere as did the gloomy weather.

Catherine is the main character. She is likable and intuitive in nature. However, she questions whether her imagination has gone wild with her suspicions about Isabella. Everyone in her orbit is telling her this but Catherine follows her gut instinct and continues to investigate her. She is positive that there are secrets held by Isabella that Isabella will use to hurt Catherine’s family. The reader doesn't know either whether Catherine is right to have these suspicions.

So, was Phoebe really in danger of being manipulated into marriage? Was someone attempting to marry her because of the fortune she will inherit? Was Catherine allowing her imagination to run amok. Who knows! Read the book to find out. 

As I said above, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars. 

Klara and the Sun

There has been alot of excitement recently about Kazuo Ishiguro's newest novel Klara and the Sun. It received rave reviews and has been adapted into a movie. Sony Pictures will release the film on October 23, 2026. I always prefer to read a book before seeing the movie so I picked up a copy of it. The novel is fantastic.

The publisher's summary:

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. 

The story takes place in a future, dystopian U.S where children are genetically altered for academic advantages. Klara is a robot that runs on solar power as do all Artificial Friend (AF) creatures. Klara's manager placed her in the store's window for two weeks. Klara was able to recharge quicker as she was exposed to more of the sun. More importantly, a young girl saw her in the window. Josie visited Klara a few times while she was with her mother. Her mother wasn't sure how well Klara would fit in inside their home. A few weeks passed before Josie was able to return and buy Klara.

Klara and Josie got along well. However, Melania Housekeeper was curt towards Klara. Klara soon learns that Josie has an illness and when she feels bad Josie can also treat Klara poorly. I was amused that the housekeeper's name was Melania. 

I enjoyed reading the story from Klara's perspective. The author did a good job of interpreting how a robot adds information into its memory. Klara's method of reasoning was also fascinating. It all happened fast for Klara and she was able to change her responses to Josie according to Josie's moods. 

The novel is not really about artificial intelligence though. I think the author is comparing the abilities of humans versus robots to add information to their memory and also to show emotion. Note that Klara behaves better than any of the human characters in this novel. 

I loved this compelling story. Before reading the book friends told me that I would cry at the ending. I didn't cry but certainly felt some emotion. Klara and the Sun is simply an outstanding read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Ransom

Ransom is the 26th installment of Dan Silva's Gabriel Allon spy series. I have read every book in the series and always eagerly await the arrival of a new book. July 14, 2026 was the date! As with all spy thrillers there is a theme of greed and corruption in Ransom. However, this story is about the kidnapping of a billionaire's wife.

The publisher's summary:

Alice Winter, one of Britain’s most dazzling socialites, seemingly has the perfect life—a lavish home in posh Knightsbridge, a grand estate in Devon, millions of followers on social media who eagerly await her next post. But when she disappears without a trace while on holiday with three old friends from Cambridge, her desperate husband, the real estate baron Edward Knight, turns to none other than Gabriel Allon to find her.

He soon discovers that Alice Winter is not the woman she appears to be, that she has a reckless side, that she has secrets. But Edward Knight has a secret too, a secret so dangerous that Gabriel will have no choice but to return to the life he thought he had left behind. An old enemy lurks there, waiting for him to make one misstep, waiting for the perfect moment to exact vengeance.

From its irresistible opening chapters to its heart-pounding climax and shocking final twist, Ransom is a riveting, page-turning tour de force that proves yet again why Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense.

 

The title of the story gives us the plot line. The wife of a British billionaire is kidnapped while she is vacationing with three friends from her college days in Cambridge. The ladies are on the Spanish island of Ibiza. One of them, Phoebe, has a huge argument with Alice and leaves the island the next morning. Alice disappeared at 2 a.m. that morning but the kidnappers didn't contact her husband until six days later demanding a one billion euro ransom. Gabriel is hd by Alice's husband Edward Knight to find her. Gabriel solicits the help of a former associate Sarah Bancroft, an ex-CIA operative-turned-art , and international thief Ingrid Johansson. Both ladies appeared in earlier books of the series. The first half of the book dealt exclusively with the negotiation of the ransom and its subsequent payment. Then the backround on the kidnapping was turned upside down. 

International intrigue abounds in this novel. Gabriel learns that Russian intelligence officers and oligarchs are involved with Edward Knight. He has to sift through all of the clues concerning their possible involvement with the kidnapping. However, instead of the usual nonstop gun fighting between Gabriel and his adversaries the reader sees a slow build up of suspense as Gabriel deciphers who is involved and who isn't.

While Ransom isn't the typical Gabriel Allon novel I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The author created a magnificent plot with clever twists. It is superb.

4 out of of sars.