The House of Lies

As soon as I heard about this book I immediately pre-ordered a copy. The author's Alardyce House series was incredibly good. The prospect of reading another story about this family was too good to be true. The book was published on February 6, 2026.

The publisher's summary:  

For generations, the Alardyce family have lived under the shadow of a curse. Some say it died with Robert Alardyce - the ruthless patriarch whose name was whispered in fear - but others know darkness like his never truly fades.

Decades later, Alardyce House stands empty, its secrets lost behind its walls. Until Kate Alardyce - Robert’s sharp and ambitious great-granddaughter - decides it’s time to reclaim her family’s legacy. And Kate always gets what she wants...

As the family gathers, old secrets resurface, loyalties fracture and the air thickens with menace. When Kate's cousin, Cameron Alardyce walks through the door, his resemblance to Robert sends a chill through them all…and it isn’t long before history begins to repeat itself.

But is the infamous curse really to blame… or is someone alive, watching, and ready to make the Alardyces pay in blood?

I enjoyed the first half of the story but it lacked the suspense and tension of the previous Alardyce novels. Kate wants to make a movie about the family, which is why she invited her cousins to the house. Lucy, Cameron, Simon, Harry and Jenna became reacquainted with each other and with Kate during this weekend. There were special family dinners, tours of the house as well as tours of the local village. The first third of the book was devoted to introducing the idea of the film to the cousins and convincing them to not only agree to the film but also to be a part of it. Kate wanted Cameron to play the role of the evil Robert Alardyce. Cameron looks exactly like a painting of Robert which hangs in the dining room. Robert’s eyes are dark, like evil lurking within them. With some prompting by Kate, Cameron easily becomes angry and impulsive like his doppelganger. Kate obviously inherited a dark side too. She knows how to manipulate people and events in order to get her way. 

At the halfway point I realized there wouldn't be any action. The book is solely about the reunion of the cousins. Most of the book is dialogue between them on mundane topics. There is alot of discussion concerning the Alardyce curse. It really is the Alardyce mental illness that seems to always skip a generation. 

I am not sure whether attempting to replay family events is sufficient to make a good psychological thriller. Kate's idea that the Robert painting can come to real life is loony. It's not plausible. It might work in a cozy mystery but not a psychological thriller. Another thing, Alardyce House seems to be haunted. Sightings of serial killer Edward Alardyce have been seen in the house. It would have been interesting if the ghost was also a serial killer as Edward was. I am not sure whether this fifth installment of the Alardyce House series was meant to merely bridge the gap from Victorian England to the present for future installments or to present a new mystery for us to resolve. Either way, The House of Lies falls short.

2.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Virtually Yours

Virtually Yours is the 2022 romance comic by Jeremy Holt. It is most appropriate to review this comic on Valentine's Day. This edition collects all 5 releases of the Comixology Original comic. Written by Jeremy Holt and illustrated by Elizabeth Beals the story grew from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down and the increased prevalence of the digital age. It's a story written with the young generation in mind.

The publisher's summary:

Welcome to Virtually Yours, a virtual dating app that provides all the proof of being in a relationship without actually being in one.

With her career front of mind, Eva Estrella joins Virtually Yours, after a nudge from her sister, to alleviate some family pressure as she continues to look for her dream job in journalism. While Max Kittridge, a former child star in the middle of a divorce, takes a gig at Virtually Yours servicing multiple clients as a fake boyfriend. As they navigate their current circumstances, both Eva and Max find that sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.

Virtually Yours is a rom-com for the digital age from writer Jeremy Holt and artist Elizabeth Beals. This exciting new collaboration includes letterer Adam Wollet, book designer Tim Daniel, and editor Kat Vendetti. Together, they present a refreshing take on a beloved genre that will appeal to anyone familiar with love in the time of the internet.

The story is a fun read. It is fast paced with colorful artwork done in traditional comic strip panels. One thing I love about the artwork is the chubby Eva and her thick thighs. Yes, I too have chubby thighs but it is rare to see woman portrayed in true size in the comic world. I also think the portrayal of African American men with modern hair styles is sublime. In addition, purple is one of my favorite colors so the color palette instantly attracted me to the book. 

As I stated above, Virtually Yours is a light-hearted fun read. The digital dating aspect of the plot brings modernity to the romance genre. It was amazing to watch the characters Eva and Max figure out what their feeling were for each other. Eva is an open book. What you see is what you get. She is bubbly to a fault but with a sarcastic point of view. Max, on the other hand, is reserved and quiet. These two opposites attract big time.

I enjoyed reading the comic so much that I wish the story was longer. Perhaps a sequel should be written. It would be fascinating to see how Eva and Max's relationship unfolds. Then maybe a wedding sequel? Jeremy Holt please take note.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Whisper War #1

The first installment of The Whisper War was published a few days ago on February 10, 2026. It's a Comixology Original comic that's both a sci-fi thriller and a murder mystery all in one. The story takes place in the planet Imprimata's capital city Apperax. Axel Jindari is a retired detective but was chosen by the Carabinieri's algorithm to return and lead the investigation. The Carabinieri have a saying that "even when you're out, you're never really out," and can be recalled at any time. From the start there's no body as the victim fell 18,000 tremin from a cloudbreaker. He or she is paste. It looks like a suicide but law enforcement believes the victim was pushed.

The first installment does a good job of introducing the story as well as the characters. Axel is a well-built man who left law enforcement for an orbital job. He doesn't work on the planet any more but rather in its orbit. While Axel tries to get out of taking the job, once he realizes the futility of it all he immediately gets to work. Inspector Seeva Dessin is an attractive lady who was sent by her bosses to bring Axel to the Carabinieri offices in Apperax. I see a possible romance between the two but we will have to wait for the release of Part 2 on March 10, 2026.

5 out of 5 stars.

Outer Lands

 

With the Winter Olympics on TV 24/7 I am behind in my reading plan for February. It's hard to turn the TV off. However, I thought I would review a few comics to at least post something on the blog. Outer Lands is my first comic review of the month. It was published in August 2025 by Darkling Entertainment. It's a Comixology Original comic with 125 pages of gorgeous graphics from Davide Gianfelice and a riveting story by Matthew Arnold. Colorist Luca Salce and Letterer Ed Dukeshire complete the artistic components.

The publisher's summary was rather simplistic for this complex plot: "When a young prince living in an Ancient Grecian world is exiled to a prison isle to keep him from assuming the throne, he unintentionally discovers a massive global conspiracy in this science-fiction fantasy mash-up."

There is much more to the story though. It begins as a historical fiction story set in ancient Greece and quickly moves into a post-apocalyptic thriller. The main character is Prince Heron who has just inherited the throne. Men working with his sister kidnap him and sell him into slavery. Sister Isadora then seizes his throne for herself. While Heron is in prison, he uncovers a global conspiracy concerning the lost city Atlantis. The world has been taught that the Atlanteans were a cruel warmongering people who enjoyed killing. However, this was not true. Heron and a few others read in forbidden books that they were peace-loving people. Heron is later lucky to escape his prison and sets out to find Atlantis. The narrative later explores themes of AI and the fear of nuclear war.

The plot was thrilling and the characters memorable. Heron is quite sympathetic because he lost his throne and quickly accepts his fate. Isadora is an intense villainess intent on keeping her brother far away from Greece. It's the only way she can maintain a hold on her crown. The Greek people are not happy with her though and there are frequent protests.

Parents, the story has no foul language nor are there sexy drawings. It's acceptable for children. I thoroughly enjoyed Outer Lands and highly recommend it to comic fans.

5 out of 5 stars.

Want to Know a Secret

I was lucky to receive an advanced review copy of Freida McFadden's newest novel from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The book was self-published in 2021 but will be re-released by Poison Pen Press in March 2026. It's unclear if any changes were made to the manuscript but the copyright page indicates it is the final manuscript approved for pre-publication by Poison Pen Press. I requested the book because I knew it would be riveting. Freida McFadden has never written a book that wasn't engrossing. Want to Know a Secret fit the bill. 

The story opened spectacularly.  YouTuber April Masterson received a threatening text message from an anonymous person, someone close enough to see what's happening in her backyard and that her son Bobby was not where she thought he was at. April was distracted while filming an episode of her baking channel and wasn't watching him. A frantic search by April and husband Elliott only ended when April knocked on a new neighbor's door. She was about to ask neighbor Maria if she had seen her son when April eyes him playing with Maria's son Owen in their living room. April continued to receive anonymous texts but then began receiving negative comments on her You Tube videos. Some intimated knowledge of April's personal affairs and stated she was a fraud. April's private musings admitted that they were factual. She continued receiving texts about her flirting and about something buried in her backyard.

April appears to the outside world as the perfect woman. I fell for it in the beginning of the story but after awhile it seemed that something was off. No one is that perfect. April's new neighbor Maria definitely gives off bad vibes and we are led to believe that Maria might be the villain who is sending the text messages. I fell for that too. Initially it appeared that Maria had more secrets than April but then came Part 2. And Part 3.

This story is a perfect psychological thriller. It was hard to tell who all the psychopaths were. The plot twists began early but the ending was so surprising I read the last chapters twice. All this leaves me to wonder how the author comes up with her story ideas. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The Beginner's Quilt

I received an advanced review copy of The Beginner's Quilt from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released next month. I love Wanda Brunstetter's novels. She writes Amish fiction and has 147 books under her belt. The Beginner's Quilt is a prequel to Brunstetter's Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club series. This installment of the series focuses on Emma Bontrager's lack of interest in  performing household tasks such as cooking, sewing, and cleaning. Her mother hasn't been able to teach her daughter these skills because Emma is always busy with the outdoors. The story shows her transition to domesticity. Emma's mother hopes that she will learn how to be an Amish wife.

Emma is a tomboy who loves fishing, baseball and any outdoors activity. Her mother sends her to her grandmother’s house in Arthur, IL for the summer in order to learn to cook and sew. Emma's grandmother is a great cook and seamstress. She soon meets grandma's friend Ida Mae Yoder who is an accomplished quilter. After admiring one of Ida Mae's Quilts she is offered lessons. Emma accepts immediately and begins making a quilt from the tree of life quilt block. Her new interest blossoms into a passion and after a few successes in the kitchen, Emma concentrates more and more on learning new recipes.

Emma is shy and has many inhibitions. When she meets Ida Mae's son Ivan, Emma feels an attraction but isn't cognizant of it. She only knows that she is tongue tied around him. Ivan, on the other hand, is bold in speaking and asserting his desires. They are complete opposites. After finding their footing as a couple something awful occurs that ends up separating them. Both are learning how to practice forgiveness while they journey through their time together.

This story is strictly romance. There are no modern problems involved in the plot which we have seen from earlier Brunstetter novels. It is a relaxing story to read. 4 out of 5 stars.

February Armchair Travel Plans

I am only traveling to three international countries this month. Thailand, Singapore and Russia are on my list. Ann Bennett's Bamboo Island takes place in Thailand. It is a WWII historical fiction novel of the Thai-Burma Railway that POWs built.

I will then fly to Singapore to read Aunty Lee's Delights. This Ovidua Yu novel has been on my tbr list for quite awhile. Juhea Kim's City of Night Birds takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia. It rounds out my armchair travel in February. I had intended to read the book last month but fell short of the goal. This story is about a ballerina. The rest of my armchair travels are in the U. S. for several mysteries. I am definitely visiting Boston and Amish country in Shipshewana, IN and Arthur, IL. 

Where are you traveling this month?

2026 Purrfect Reading Challenge

I have never participated in this challenge before. Since there are several cat themed mysteries on my tbr list, I decided to join in on the fun. The Socrates Book Reviews Blog is the challenge host. Below are the rules:

1.  The challenge will begin on January 1, 2026 and end on December 31, 2026.

2.  Any book read for this challenge has to be a mystery and have a cat that plays a major role in the book.

3.  You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.

4.  Book titles may be swapped out at anytime for those who make a list in advance.

5.  Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.

6.  Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks)

7.  You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to. If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there.

8.  To sign up, choose one of the levels from the below list and use the Mister Linky on the challenge page. There will be links for reviews and wrap posts later.

Participation Levels

Purring - Read 1-10 cat mysteries (my level of participation)

Kneading - Read 11-20 cat mysteries

Meowing - Read 21-30 cat mysteries

Catnip - Go crazy and read at least 31 and go as high as you'd like - the sky is the limit!

Book of the Month: January

I read a lot of books this month. Sixteen to be exact. I had quite a few books from 2025 that I wanted to get through and the freezing cold weather early in the month was supportive of this. Three of them were historical fiction, four were graphic novels, one was literary fiction and the rest were mysteries. My top read was between Mindy Quigley's At Death's Dough, Syou Ishida's We'll Prescribe You a Cat and Gary McAvoy's The Hildegard Seeds. The Hildegard Seeds won out. It is the best book McAvoy has written in his Vatican Secret Archives Mystery series. 

In the Hildegard Seeds, Hana Sinclair inherited a medieval botanical manuscript written by Hildegard von Bingen. Hana believes that the book contains the key to curing some of humanity’s most devastating diseases. Of course, Big Pharma is determined to ensure her secrets stay buried. If patients are cured, these companies lose money because no one will need their meds. This is a short summary of a complex plot that takes the characters to France, Italy and Germany.

Captivating Character of the Month: January

This meme is hosted by Carol at the Reading Ladies blog. On the last Friday of the month, she writes a post about her most captivating character of the month and creates a Link Party on that post. 

The priestess Joia in Ken Follett's Circle of Days is my most captivating character for January. Joia was appropriately named. She is a joyful person who believes that anything is possible. If it wasn't for this trait Stonehenge would never have been built.

Some background on the story is necessary. Circle of Days takes place in 2500 BCE in England. It is a fictional account of how Stonehenge could have been constructed. The book opens with the character Seft experiencing abuse from his flint making father and brothers. He decides to escape his family and runs toward the herding community. Seft settles there and marries the love of his life Neen. Neen’s sister is Joia. Joia becomes prominent in the book when she decides to join the priestesses who dance around a wooden monument.

After the wooden monument is destroyed, Joia dreams of building a new one, one that is permanent. However, the lead priestess opposes the idea. When the leader of the priestesses dies, Joia campaigns to take her place. She gets her wish when the priestesses elect her to be their leader. One of the reasons why Joia is overwhelmingly elected is her friendliness toward her fellow priestesses. They all love her. 

Joia is a woman with vision and an ability to lead. Her vision of a stone monument inspires Seft to come up with ideas on how it could be built. Her fellow priestesses follow her wholeheartedly in this challenge. All of us know someone like Joia so it stands to reason that she is my favorite character of the month.

#CaptivatingCharacters26 

Book Cover of the Month: January

There was no competition this month for my top book cover. We'll Prescribe You a Cat features a cat in a pill bottle on it's cover in a pleasing blue and orange color palette. The cover for the English edition features illustrations by German artist Alissa Levy. Levy is known for her cat illustrations. Her Instagram page shows many of them as does her website. Levy also designed the book cover for the sequel, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat. In addition, she offers to create a custom digital portrait of your own cat. 

Alissa Levy was born in Kiev, Ukraine but emigrated with her family to Dortmund, Germany when she was six years old. Her artwork focuses on the simple moments of everyday life, often featuring female characters, plants, and animals. Her style is characterized by a delicate palette of warm, soft tones and organic lines. 

The Red Mother Volume One

The Red Mother Volume 1 is a fantastic comic psychological horror story by Jeremy Haun. In Volume 1 Daisy McDonough loses one eye and the man she loves in a brutal mugging. As she tries to put the pieces of her life back together, Daisy gets a glass eye to match the other.  Just when she begins to think she can move on, she begins to see strange things through her new prosthetic eye. Daisy sees everything in red in the prosthetic eye. Her doctor says she has Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) is a condition that causes vivid, complex visual hallucinations in people who have lost significant vision, where the brain creates images to fill the visual void, similar to phantom limb pain. These hallucinations are purely visual (no sounds/smells), the person knows they aren't real, and they typically involve patterns, people, or landscapes, lessening over time as the brain adapts, though no specific cure exists.

Daisy is a puzzle designer but she hasn't worked in months because of the accident. She receives a puzzle in the shape of a heart by delivery and easily solves the puzzle. The name and phone number in the puzzle refers her to Leland Black. After meeting him Daisy has another red hallucination. Something strange then happened. She was asked by a passerby if she had seen the red mother. This is where the story ended. I wish I had picked up the next Volume because this cliff hanger was intense. 

I liked all of the characters. Daisy is very sympathetic. The drawings of her show how much pain she had to endure. They also show her going to endless doctor appointments. Her life was on hiatus as she recovered from her injuries. I liked that her career was as a puzzle maker. It's an interesting field and I am looking forward to reading more about it in future installments of the series. Daisy's best friend Pari is supportive, always trying to get Daisy to go out for dinner or even business meetings. They work together in a puzzle business. Pari is very likable. Daisy's boyfriend Luke was not featured much. Daisy was told that he was lost after the mugging.

Volume 1 is a fun start to the Red Mother series. It is a clean story, no sex or foul language. 5 out of 5 stars.

The High Desert

I selected this graphic novel because it has won several awards.The book won the 2022 ALA Alex Award and the 2023 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Print Comics. In addition, it was one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022, one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2022 and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022.  I had high expectations for it. However, I did not like it much. 

High Desert is a coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of Afro-punk, James Spooner. We read about him as a teenaged African American boy who has to deal with identity, racism, teen love and belonging in the isolated California desert that he lived in with his white single mother. James searches for community by being punk. James thinks going to a new high school will bring him new friends but he finds that he is just one out of 15 African American students at the school. The African Americans are gangbangers while the white students are racist. Some are skinheads. James doesn't know where he fits until he meets Ty, a young black punk who introduces him to the school outsiders, skaters and unhappy young rebels caught up in the punk groundswell sweeping the country. His life changes with a new punk haircut and becoming a bass player in a band. 

I did not understand the slang. After looking up several pages worth of slang I gave up. The story was actually judge dialogue between James and his fellow students at various moments in school. There was no plot. I felt sorry for James, though. He had a rough adjustment to his new community and didn't feel his mother understood him. I read several reviews of this book and all were positive. These reviewers had the same life experiences as James. While I didn't like the book I would definitely recommend it for my friends' kids who might be feeling just like James.