The Once and Future Riot

This graphic novel investigates the 2013 Muzaffarnagar Riot that took place in India. Graphic journalist Joe Sacco examines the sectarian violence, crowd dynamics and competing narratives concerning the riot. The book was published in October 2025.

The publisher's summary: 

Compared to other episodes of lethal Indian communal violence, the clashes in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, the Muzaffarnagar Riot, were a relatively small-scale affair―some scores of people were killed and several tens of thousands displaced. It had happened before and will probably happen again: Hindus and Muslims, armed with guns and swords, riled up by vitriolic rhetoric and a tangle of accusations, turn on one another. The truth fragments along religious lines, both in the lead-up to the rampage and in its bloody aftermath.

In The Once and Future Riot, Joe Sacco immerses himself in Uttar Pradesh, speaking to government officials, political leaders, village chiefs, and especially the victims, who were mostly landless peasants, in a quest to understand this riot as an archetype of political violence. In the process, he probes the role of savagery in a democracy; the power of crowds, rather than leaders, to influence the course of events; the collision of competing narratives; and the accounts that perpetrators construct to explain away their participation in bloodshed.

Hailed as “the heir to R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman” (Economist), Sacco has chronicled the urgent histories that define the world around us, from the Great War to Gaza. Here, he turns his masterful visual reportage to a story that is specific to India but with implications and resonance for all precarious multiethnic, multiracial societies everywhere.

 After finishing the book I thought that one side had to be primarily at fault for the riot. I had some difficulty determinating which party held that fault so I re-read the book. I kept a cheat sheet detailing who did what in each village. It was an exercise in futility.

The root cause of all of the distrust between the Hindus and the Muslims was the Partition of 1947. The Partition forced Muslims to leave India and move to a new country, Pakistan, where they would be the majority population. Hindus no longer wanted Muslim neighbors even though Muslims were working on their farms. The economics of the Partition resulted in Hindu farm owners paying double the wages to anyone willing to work their farms. Muslims were too far away to labor for them. Before Partition Hindus and Muslims lived peacably side by side. Each faction respected the other. What a mistake it was.

The trigger of most of the clashes was mistreatment of women. The men would then kill the perpetrators but they would eventually be killed themselves in retaliation. The political and religious leaders were never able to prevent the violence and in many cases they did not want to stem the violence. Leaders on both sides fueled anger by spreading misinformation. Unfortunately, Muslims were forced to live in camps after Jat Hindus burned down their villages. The riot itself lasted a few days but violence seems to be a norm in Indian politics, hence the "future" riot. 

I enjoyed reading the book and learned alot about Indian politics. I felt the author's frustration as he traveled throughout the Uttar Pradesh region trying to obtain the truth. Very few people told him what really happened in their villages, preferring to tell him a narrative set by their personal politics. This was a difficult assignment for the author but he did well in telling the reader how he searched for answers on a daily basis.

5 out of 5 stars. 

Do Admit

The gorgeous color pallette of this graphic biography prompted me to read the book. I have read previous books by Mimi Pond so I knew it would be spectacular. The biography is about the six Mitford sisters Nancy, Unity, Diana, Pam, Jessica and Deborah as well as the other members of the aristocratic family, and their geo-political influence on major events of the 1920s and 1930s. The book won the 2026 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Long-form Comic from the Center for Cartoon Studies as well as the 2025 Graphic Novel Critics Poll. The title "Do Admit" is a favorite saying of the sisters. This 444 page book was published in September 2025.

The publisher's summary:

Born with pedigrees but without the pocketbooks to match, The Mitfords were certainly no strangers to lies, intrigue, or scandal. Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, and Deborah. All six sisters were weaned on their family’s well-documented upper class eccentricities: a ne’er do well would-be entrepreneur father; a stern, stiff-upper-lipped mother; a revolving door of governesses of varying propriety, all against the backdrop of a crumbling estate falling into disrepair.

The sisters grew from cloistered turn-of-the-century country girls into debutantes who would marry into political influence―for better or worse. Is it any wonder that a young, working class Mimi in Southern California becomes enamored with The Mitfords’ downright fanciful rich-and-famous lifestyle? This charming, inventively cartooned, and lovingly researched biography captures the dramatic, over-the-top antics of high society’s strongest personalities as they rubbed elbows with some of history’s most infamous fascists and communists.

Pond’s genius for classic cartooning in the vein of the Vanity Fair caricature and the satirical illustrations of Charles Addams brings the aesthetic decadence of the 1920s and ‘30s to life with effortless aplomb, warts and all.

I had heard the Mitford name before but knew nothing about the family. The book fills in all of the details of each of the sisters' lives who lived during the first half of the 20th century. I wondered why the author, Mimi Pond, decided to write about  them as I believe we are around the same age. How did she become interested in the family? Regardless, she wrote an entertaining and informative book about the sisters.

As I stated above, I loved the color palette. Another aesthetic I liked was the use of info-graphics for the narrative part of the story. I thought this was creative and enjoyed reading the narrative. The author used lines of text of different font sizes placed at different angles. She is a master of typology. The rest of the story was shown in whimsical illustrations. The copyright page states Pond owns the copyright to every part of the book. From this information it becomes apparent that she drew the illustrations and did the lettering in addition to writing the text. I hope Pond wins more awards for the book because it is fantastic. 

There are dozens of characters. We have the six sisters, two parents, many spouses, a few children, and many famous people inside the story. The Mitfords knew Hitler, Winston Churchill, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and William Faulkner. Two of the sisters were fascists. Diana and Unity were deeply entrenched in the Nazi inner circle. Diana married Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists. Unity became obsessed with Adolf Hitler, befriending him and remaining a dedicated follower in Germany. Hitler's records show he met with Unity 140 times. Jessica was a staunch communist and she moved to the U. S.  Deborah became the Duchess of Devonshire. Jessica and Deborah married nephews of prime ministers Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan, respectively. Needless to say, these divergent political views created distance in their relationships with each other.

Do Admit is going to be in my top books for 2026. It is a masterpiece. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #49

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.

Today I want to highlight a book that I plan to read next month for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. A River Red With Blood will be published on June 2, 2026. It is part of the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly and takes place in Maine’s rural Kennebec River Valley. The plot is interesting. Two teen girls disappear and one of them attends a troubled teens school. Her body is later found in the water and the police assume that she has drowned. However, Detective Parker finds a connection between the two girls, one new and one ancient. I am particularly interested in the ancient connection and can't wait to find out what happened to the girls.

What book(s) are you anxiously awaiting to read?

The Housemaid is Watching

The Housemaid is Watching is the third book in the Housemaid trilogy and it's just as wonderful as the first two.  Its a psychological thriller with yet another twisty finish that surprised me. The story takes place ten years after the first novel and Millie Calloway returns with husband Enzo and their two kids. 

The publisher's summary: 

“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…

I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…

The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here? I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?

Millie and Enzo have two nosy, annoying neighbours. Suzette Lowell cannot stop flirting with Enzo and Millie is jealous. The neighbor across the street, Janice, is the neighborhood spy. She spends the entire day and night looking in everyone's windows with her binoculars. The Lowells have a maid, Martha, with Thursdays open and Suzette talks Enzo into hiring her even though the Accardis cannot afford it. 

Millie and Enzo have two kids, eleven year old Ada and nine year old Nico. Ada is quiet but Nico has tons of energy. Millie repeats several times that she is obsessed with her new house and that the mortgage payments are too high for her to pay. She also has quite a few internal thoughts about her husband maybe cheating on her. Why repeat these two items?  It seemed unusual for McFadden to repeat any information in a novel. It felt odd as I was reading. In addition, Millie's usual housemaid activities are not written into this novel. It made me confused until the ending. 

Who was the villain?  There were a few possibilities. Suzette, Janice and Martha were the characters I was thinking about. The identity of the whodunnit wasn't revealed until the ending but all three characters were suggested throughout the story. 

I had a few issues with the writing.  The formula used in the prior two books in the series was not followed. This reduced the suspense factor during my read. While the ending tied up all of the loose ends, it was not as shocking as the earlier novels. Unfortunately, I have to reduce my rating of the book to 4 out of 5 stars.

Honey in the Wound

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Honey in the Wound is the debut novel of Jiyoung Han. The story is about a Korean family confronting the brutality of the Japanese empire. The Japanese occupied Korea and parts of China during this era. It's an epic tale of five generations of one family. It was published on April 7, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother’s voice compels the truth from any tongue. A granddaughter divines secrets in others’ dreams. These women are all of one lineage—a Korean family split across decades and borders by Japanese imperialism.

At this saga’s heart is Young-Ja, a girl who infuses food with her emotions. She revels in her gift for cooking, nourishing the people she loves with her cheerfulness. But her sunny childhood comes to an end in 1931 when Japanese soldiers crush her family’s defiance against the Empire. Young-Ja is cast adrift, her food turning increasingly bitter with grief. When a Korean rebel fighter notices her talents, however, she is whisked off to Manchuria to join a secretive sisterhood of beautiful teahouse spies. There, Young-Ja finds a new sense of belonging and starts using her abilities for the resistance. But the Imperial Army is not yet finished with her…

Decades later, Young-Ja lives alone in Seoul, withdrawn from the world until her Tokyo-born granddaughter Rinako bursts into her life with the ability to see into dreams. In cultivating a tentative bond, they confront the long-buried past in a stunning emotional climax.

As an unforgettable family perseveres in the long shadow of colonialism, Honey in the Wound transports readers to mountain forests where tiger-girls stalk, to Manchurian teahouses and opium dens where charming smiles veil secrets, and to the modern metropolises of Tokyo and Seoul where restless ghosts stir. This debut novel is a tender yet powerful multi-generational drama that shines light onto the twentieth century’s darkest corners and gives voice to those who bore witness.

I found writing my review of this book was difficult. So much happened that I didn't know where to start. It's an emotional story for sure and I felt that my emotions were overwhelmed. Heart-wrenching is the best word to describe the book. The story centers on Young-Ja, whose ability to cook her emotions into food was her superpower as a youth. This is where the magical realism joins the plot. When her family was executed by Japanese soldiers, Young-Ja ran and hid. She was lucky to survive but her overwhelming grief made her susceptible to corrupt men. Right after Young-Ja's family passed away, she was found unconscious near a lake. A barren couple took her in and treated her as their own. Young-Ja stayed with them for several years but when the husband began sexually assaulting her during the night, the wife gave her to a man who offered Young-Ja a fantastic job in China. 

The job was not fantastic. Young-Ja was forced to work long hours in a tea house kitchen in the northern area of Korea.  However, she thrived there and was promoted to hostess in the tea rooms. She and her fellow hostesses and servers listened to conversations that Japanese soldiers had among themselves. This information was given to people in the resistance movement. After nine years, the Japanese arrested the tea house owner and burned it to the ground. Unfortunately, Young-Ja ended being kidnapped and taken to Manchuria to be a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers. Her life gets even worse.

This is a sad story but realistic for the time and place. The author did a fine job writing about this unknown event in history. She showed how horribly the Koreans were treated by the Japaneses soldiers. Young-Ja's life affected me deeply. I mourned with her every time something bad happened to her. 

All of the characters were well developed. Young-Ja's grandparents had an interesting backstory. I loved reading about them. Her grandmother Myoung-Ok toiled as a farmer. When Myoung-OK eventually married Dahn, who was considered a giant by the villagers, she left her agrarian existence and moved to the mountains with him. There they gave birth to twins. Geum-Jin married Song Jung-Soon even though she had a facial disfigurement. They raised several children including Young-Ja. Their story was also intriguing and one of the best parts of the book. 

While Honey in the Wound is a good book, I don't know if I should recommend it. It made me sad for about a week after I finished reading. Who wants to deal with that! My rating of 5 out of 5 stars reflects the fantastic research that went into the story as well as the writing of this saga.

The Porcelain Maker's Daughter

The Porcelain Maker’s Daughter is a historical romance novel that is based on a true story about a sunken ship. The Tec Sing (True Star) was a large three mast Chinese junk that sank in 1822. It contained a massive cargo of porcelain and 2,000 people. Only 200 survived.

The publisher's summary:

Southern China, 1822. Looking to marry her off to a wealthy Indonesian merchant, Cheng Yafang’sfather arranges for her voyage aboard the Tek Sing—the largest trading vessel ever to sail the South China Sea. For Yafang, the second daughter in a family of master porcelain artists, there is no greater honor: a way to safeguard her family business and secure her future. But as she boards the mighty ship containing hundreds of thousands of her family’s finest porcelain, her heart—and the ship itself—harbors a secret that defies generations of tradition.

From a young age, He Zuyao was raised to hate the Chengs. After decades of rivalry rooted in their mastery of the art of porcelain-making, their disdain had grown into a bitter feud. But when he sees Yafang accosted by robbers on her way home, Zuyao doesn’t think twice before risking his life to defend her. Despite their heritage, Zuyao and Yafang vow to marry each other—a love that blossoms in the most unexpected of places.

But after Zuyao discovers her arranged marriage, their vow is pushed to a breaking point. When disaster strikes the He household and a legendary Guanyin statue is stolen, Zuyao follows its trail to the Tek Sing. Hoping to find the lost family heirloom and reunite with the woman he loves, Zuyao stows away on the ship. As the Tek Sing departs, a tragedy unfolds in the shadows of its bow. And even if they make it to the new land—can they really sacrifice their families’ honor for something as lowly as love?

Based on the true story of the “Oriental Titanic,” The Porcelain Maker’s Daughter is a moving, unputdownable saga. An immersive historical experience surrounding one of the greatest tragedies of 19th-century China.

While the book was enchanting, it was a slow read. I can't put my finger on what was the problem. I only know that I could only read it in small doses and then I started reading other books, always returning to this one. The story has a Romeo and Juliet plot. Yafang is the main character. She was born into a family of master artisans and carried both the weight of expectation and the burning desire to only marry if she was in love. She was normally quiet, respectful and reserved but could scream at her father when he discussed her future marriage to a wealthy man that she never met. Yafang was known in her community as trustworthy. I found her to be very sympathetic. Her boyfriend He Zuyao had a similar personality. They made a great couple but the He family was not rich. Also, the He and Cheng families had a long standing feud that could not be disrupted. It would anger the ancestors so the plot is definitely the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. 

The backdrop of their families being master porcelain artists was interesting to read about. I wish that there had been more of it. The descriptions of clay, firing, painting, and the translucent glazes are outstanding. These details serve not just as setting but also symbolically reflect Yafang's own internal transformation. She is fired by life challenges, shaped by relationships, and finally emerges as something beautiful.

As in real life, the Tec Sing sank in the novel, killing 1800 people. The number of people who died was 300 more than those who died on the Titanic. Most of the characters in the beginning of the story were on the ship. Some were saved, others weren't. If you want to know if your favorite character survived, read the book.  

It's nice to read a story about characters who pursue goodness and kindness. I enjoyed the story tremendously and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Housemaid's Secret

Millie Calloway returns as a maid in this sequel to The Housemaid. She takes a new job working for the wealthy but mysterious Douglas Garrick. Millie has been told to not disturb his wife Wendy who stays locked in a guest room supposedly sleeping.

The publisher's summary:

As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job – not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything....

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go....

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train will be completely hooked!

The writing formula for this sequel is exactly the same as in The Housemaid. For me, this is a plus and it is what I wanted and expected. The mystery surrounding wife Wendy is the focus of the story. I enjoyed following the small reveals concerning Wendy's situation throughout the book but felt that Millie's early attempts at intervention were not called for. Wendy's situation did not change enough for Millie to need to intervene. That said, it was proper for the plot to have Millie try to intervene early and often. I wish, though, that something more severe than shouting would have alarmed Millie to take action. 

Despite my above misgivings, there was a slow ratcheting up of the tension in the story to keep me riveted to my read. There were many twists and turns that maintained my interest and some of these twists involved the characters having ulterior motives. It was hard to tell where the story was going when none of the characters seemed trustworthy.

In this installment of the series Millie has a boyfriend. Brock is an attorney who wants Millie to move in with him. She prefers to stay independent even though Brock's apartment is luxurious. When Millie gets arrested for killing Mr. Garrick he dumps her. Of course, Millie did not kill anyone. She's the heroine so I knew that she would be exonerated. What Millie does not know is that her former boyfriend Enzo is back in the country and has been following her. She had believed that someone affiliated with the Garricks was stalking her. It goes without saying that the ending was shocking. It is something McFadden's readers both expect and receive.

I loved this story. It is a wonderful sequel to The Housemaid and I am looking forward to reading the third and final book in the series.  4 out of 5 stars.

Tall Water

Tall Water is a coming of age teen graphic novel that follows one girl’s journey to Sri Lanka to reconnect with her long-lost mother during the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The book won the Asian Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature Honor Award in 2026. It was published in August 2025.

The publisher's summary:

Ever since she turned sixteen, Nimmi has wanted to see her mother. Though she has a loving but overprotective father and a budding relationship, she yearns to travel to Sri Lanka to confront the mother who refused to leave the island during a war, not even for Nimmi’s sake. Her father is going back for the first time as a reporter on assignment, but he refuses to take her, deeming Sri Lanka too dangerous.

But then Nimmi's mother appears to her in a dream, asking her to come find her, and Nimmi knows she must go. Her father is livid when he sees her at baggage claim, but by then it’s too late, and he reluctantly agrees to help Nimmi make contact with her mother. In Sri Lanka, Nimmi tags along with her father and his guide, past checkpoints and armed soldiers and increasing hints of the war that rages there.

However, the day after Christmas, disaster strikes and a tsunami ravages the island. Stranded amid the devastation and destruction, can Nimmi reunite with her mother? Through her journey, Nimmi might just learn that the person she most needed to find was herself.

This story is fantastic. I could not put it down. Although only 245 pages, the plot is extraordinary as are the characters. Nimmi is more mature than her sixteen years would allow and she is fearless. It takes guts to plan a last minute trip to a place she has never been before. She had no qualms over taking a long distance flight by herself nor did she seem to feel any uneasiness about meeting her mother for the first time during the planning phase if the trip. Nimmi’s plan was to meet her father at the airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, unbeknownst to him, even though his flight left South Dakota one day earlier. I didn't understand this but, hey, its fiction. Nimmi took a mature stance on her relationship with her boyfriend Daniel. They were planning on attending colleges in different states. Daniel thought a long distance relationship would work but Nimmi, being practical, knew she would end the relationship. 

Nimmi’s father Andrew was protective of her which is why he told her she couldn't accompany him to Sri Lanka. When he saw her at the Colombo airport he was of course surprised but not too upset. He thought she would be safe under certain circumstances. Nimmi’s mother Renuka was not a sympathetic character in my mind. While she was heroic to care for over ten kids in an orphanage, she didn't connect with Nimmi as I expected. Yes, she was thrilled to see her daughter but I felt Renuka cared more about trying to fix Sri Lanka's problems than getting to know her daughter. There were also several secondary characters who were sympathetic so the story has fantastic characters.

The plot was both thrilling and informative. I knew nothing about the 2004 tsunami before reading the book. With the artwork by Dion MBD the readers sees upfront what life is like in rural Sri Lanka as well as the devastation the tsunami caused. I particularly liked the color pallette, which is how I decide on getting a graphic novel. If the colors aren't pretty I probably won't get the book. Another fact I learned from the book is that the Sri Lankan people are resilient. Almost immediately they began to rebuild the orphanage, having already located a safe place for the kids to stay. Nimmi’s maturity shines here as we see her taking care of the kids and contributing to the cooking without anyone asking her to help out.

The novel has so much more than described here. It's one of the best coming of age stories that I have ever read. 5 out of 5 stars.

This Place Kills Me

This Place Kills Me is a YA fictional graphic novel concerning a private girl's boarding school in Massachusetts. The story is set in the 1980s and is told in comics, letters, diary entries, and news articles. It is a page-turning whodunnit that kept me on the edge of my seat. This novel was published in August 2025.

The publisher's summary:  

At Wilberton Academy, few students are more revered than the members of the elite Wilberton Theatrical Society—a.k.a. the WTS—and no one represents that exclusive club better than Elizabeth Woodward. Breathtakingly beautiful, beloved by all, and a talented thespian, it’s no surprise she’s starring as Juliet in the WTS’s performance of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. But when she’s found dead the morning after opening night, the whole school is thrown into chaos.

Transfer student Abby Kita was one of the last people to see Elizabeth alive, and when local authorities deem the it-girl’s death a suicide, Abby’s not convinced. She’s sure there’s more to Wilburton and the WTS than meets the eye. As she gets tangled in prep school intrigues, Abby quickly realizes that Elizabeth was keeping secrets. Was one of those secrets worth killing for?

Abby is the protagonist of the story. She is totally rejected by her classmates because of her appearance. Abby has old fashioned big glasses and is a sloppy dresser. Even her roommate Claire refuses to speak with her. Because she is an outcast, Abby spends all her time outside of classes listening to her walkman. She is a curious person though. When she sees lights from a flashlight from her window in the middle of the night Abby runs outside to see what's happening. She overhears police officers discussing Elizabeth's death on one occasion and on another she finds a classmate trying to kill herself with drugs.

All of her classmates are mean girls. The author does a good job of showing the usual dialogue between them. The word "like" is repeated by them constantly and, of course, they all are huge gossipers. There are several mysteries to solve in this story. How did Elizabeth die, who is distributing drugs and why has Abby been banished to this school by her parents. 

The artwork is the reason I bought the book. The back cover blurb informed me that the plot was a nice mystery but the color palette was what I found enticing. The illustrator, Nicole Goux, used cool tones of pink and blue with a thick black font for the dialogue. The cover design was appealing too. 

I enjoyed reading this book. In fact I read it twice before writing the review. There are some dark elements that might upset readers such as death, suicide, drugs and LGBTQIA issues. I didn't see them as triggering but I am an old lady. Kids may find them troubling.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Housemaid

The Housemaid has been on my TBR list for a few years. I finally got around to reading it last week and I hope to soon finish the four additional books in this Housemaid series. 

The publisher's summary:

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out … and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of …

Our protagonist is housemaid Millie. Millie was recently released from prison and is having a hard time finding employment. She is a convicted murderer. A week after being interviewed for a job as housemaid for Nina Winchester, Millie gets the good news that she has been hired. The job is a live-in situation and Millie can finally move out of her car. From her first day on the job Millie senses that it was a mistake to accept the position. That same day the landscaper tells her the house is dangerous.

Nina is a classic psycho. She messes up the house on purpose so Millie has more to clean. It was mean-spirited. Nina also accused Millie of misinterpreting her instructions on a daily basis. I thought Nina was the villain but nothing is that easy to decipher in a Freida McFadden book. I wondered what was wrong with her but it wasn’t until the end that I realized what was really going on.

Andrew, on the other hand, is Nina’s debonair, handsome husband. He is always calm and pleasant. Andrew makes excuses for his wife's behavior and supports her fully. No one in the neighborhood knows why he puts up with her. Landscaper Enzo is hotter than hot. He generally dismisses any conversation that Millie starts. For one reason, he speaks Italian and does not know many English words. The Winchesters have a young daughter Cecelia who is just as demented as her mother. Cecelia makes Millie's life even more miserable.

There are too many twists and turns to describe. Nothing and no one is who they seem to be. I believe there was a new twist in every other chapter. This made for a super fast pace. I read that this book was made into a movie but I didn't see it. I am definitely going to watch it ASAP as this plot is amazing. 

To say the ending is shocking is a putting it mildly. I recently learned that the author is a psychiatrist in her day job. I can only imagine that she gets her material from her clients. Otherwise, how does she come up with these plots?  5 out of 5 stars!

Dear Debbie

Dear Debbie is Freida McFadden's newest novel. It was published on January 21, 2026 and I must say it was fantastic. Debbie writes an advice column for a local newspaper similar to the Dear Abby columns I read while growing up. However, Debbie has a screw loose. No, ten loose screws.

The publisher's summary:

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction. Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person.

She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.

And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

When the story began Debbie was frequently featured at social events with friends. Nothing untoward was obvious. She attended a monthly book club with neighbors who lived on her block who openly disparaged her lack of class and higher education. Debbie desperately wants to fit in and accepts this mistreatment as necessary to endure. Later these friends begin to ridicule her intense behavior behind her back. They gossip about rumors that she spent a few months in a psychiatric hospital. Debbie’s next door neighbor Brett then accuses her of breaking into his basement and destroying his fuse box because she complained to the police about his loud music. Brett screams at her and later her husband Cooper every chance he gets.

Debbie has a beautiful garden and it is going to be featured in a local magazine. However, when the photographers don't show up she learns that the magazine canceled the photo shoot and were instead going to feature a neighbor's garden. Jo is known for having the best roses in the community. Debbie feels that Jo sabotaged her shoot and after midnight she plants beetles in the dirt of Jo's garden. By morning the beetles were all over the flowers and the photographer refused to take photos. Of course Jo blamed Debbie and Jo publicly screamed at her several times.

Most of the chapters begin with drafts of her column wherein she suggests that the complaining women kill their husbands. Debbie’s actions are slowly revealed but her duplicity is not known to the reader until the halfway point. Debbie is always calm. Her friends and neighbors are shown as explosive. 

Following the garden incident, we see Debbie plotting revenge on other neighbors as well as her husband's boss. The boss refused to promote Cooper and, in a huff, he quit his job. She also sought revenge on her daughter's soccer coach for removing her from the team. At this time Debbie was fired from her job as an advice columnist for suggesting a wife kill her husband. 

Debbie is clearly nuts. I enjoyed reading about her unraveling. Frankly, I loved some of her vengeance because these characters definately deserved it. It's interesting to note that Debbie is both the protagonist and the villain. This works though. 

Dear Debbie is a nother great McFadden novel. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Emerald Affair

The Emerald Affair is the first book in The Raj Hotel trilogy by Janet MacLeod Trotter. The series is about four friends from Scotland, Esmie, Lydia, Tom, and Harold, who move to India following WWI. With 545 pages, it is 5 pages shy of being a chunkster.

The publisher's summary:

In Scotland in the aftermath of the First World War, nurse Esmie McBride meets handsome Captain Tom Lomax at her best friend Lydia’s home. Esmie is at first concerned for Tom’s shell shock, then captivated by his charm, but it’s effervescent Lydia he marries, and the pair begin a new adventure together in India.

When marriage to Tom’s doctor friend Harold offers Esmie the chance to work in India, the two sets of newlyweds find themselves living wildly different lives on the subcontinent. Esmie, heartbroken but resolved, is nursing at a mission hospital on the North West Frontier. Lydia, meanwhile, is the glamorous mistress of the Raj Hotel, where Tom hopes his sociable new wife will dazzle international guests.

As Esmie struggles with her true feelings for Tom and the daily dangers of her work, Lydia realises the Raj is not the centre of high society she had dreamed of. And when crisis strikes both couples, Esmie faces a shattering choice: should she stay the constant friend she’s always been, or risk everything and follow her heart?

The Emerald Affair is a story about life in Ralwalpindi, India in the 1920’s. The setting isn't described in too much detail which I was expecting. The fears that the British had of the natives becoming violent was about the only aspect of the setting involved in the story other than the insufferable heat and humidity. Both couples had marriage difficulties which was basically due to marrying fast, marrying the person you were expected to marry and not marrying the person they were in love with. As with all British Raj novels there were plenty of sexual affairs.

Esme is the heroine of the book. She is overly conscientious and devoted to her job as a nurse. Her husband Harold is even more married to his job as a physician. Harold has intimacy issues that Esme cannot figure out and she is unhappy in the marriage. Esme's best friend Lydia is the complete opposite. Lydia loves partying. One social event per day is not enough for her. She wants to be socializing from morning to midnight. Since Lydia's husband Tom spends most of his time trying to develop his new hotel, there is alot of conflict between them. 

It took me three reading sittings to finish the novel. This is highly unusual for me. While I enjoyed the story, the pace was a little slow. I am going to rate the book a 3.5 out of 5 stars 

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat

This book is the sequel to We'll Prescribe You a Cat. These books offer four short fantasy stories about people in emotional pain. They find a mental health clinic while out walking around and step inside to ask questions. At the entrance to the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul in Kyoto they meet an irritable nurse who states the doctor had a cancelation and can see them immediately. After telling the doctor what's bothering them they are prescribed a cat to take home for ten days. 

The publisher's summary:

Though it’s a mysteriously located clinic with an uncertain address, it can always be found by those who need it. And the clinic has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of its patients. This charming sequel introduces a new lovable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his boundless energy by demolishing bed linens and curtains, to tenacious and curious Shasha, who doesn’t let her small size stop her from anything, and the most lovable yet lazy cat Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.

As characters from one chapter appear as side characters in the next, we follow a young woman who cannot help pushing away the man who loves her, a recently widowed grandfather whose grandson refuses to leave his room, the family of a young woman who struggle to understand each other, and an anxious man who works at a cat shelter seeking to show how the most difficult cats can be the most rewarding. This moving, magical novel of interconnected tales proves the strength in the unfathomable bond between cats and people.

The book is about a Kyoto psychiatrist who prescribes a cat to every patient as a unique form of therapy for people with life problems. The prescription is always for ten days after which the cat must be returned to the doctor. This sequel is a little different as the patients are given cats with special medical needs. Food and litter are dispensed at the clinic along with a log that the patients must fill out every day with their cat's progress. The stories showcase the healing power of animals with a touch of fantasy thrown in for good measure. When the return to the clinic the logs are read by the doctor and he always says the patients did a good job taking care of the animal.

As the summary above states, only people in deep emotional pain can open the door to the clinic and this is where the fantasy comes in. Not everyone can see the alleyway where the business practice is located. Each cat has a litter box issue to be resolved and it is always about their poop mixed in with the litter. Ya'll know what that's like, right?  The real identity of the doctor and nurse are revealed in the last chapter. I was not expecting this surprise but it was a pleasant surprise.

This book was a delightful read, a perfect end to the stressful day I had. If you love cats, you will love it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Hidden Poison

Hidden Poison is the second book in the Amish Book Club Mystery Series by Tracy Fredrychowski. I reviewed Buried Secrets last month and loved it. This series is Amish fiction but the writing formula belongs in the mystery genre. Hidden Poison was just published on May 1, 2026. 

The publisher's summary: 

A poisoned pot of cream. A bishop with too much power. And one woman’s race to save her friend before the town turns against her.

Rosie Weaver finds joy in her garden, hosting book club, and sharing slow, simple mornings at the Buttered Biscuit. But her peaceful routine shatters when the bishop collapses and dies during breakfast, and the two ministers seated beside him fall ill themselves.

The town is stunned. But while some mourn the loss, others quietly admit the bishop had made enemies with his heavy-handed ways. When whispers begin to blame Lucy Fisher, the former Amish woman who owns the cafe, Rosie, Lovina Frey, and Irma Gingerich refuse to stay silent.

With the sheriff closing the diner and rumors spreading like wildfire, Rosie enlists her book club friends to help clear Lucy’s name. But the deeper they dig into the bishop’s secrets, the more dangerous the truth becomes.

Can they uncover the real poisoner before Lucy loses everything… including her place in Sweet Briar?

The story opens with Amish Bishop Enick Zook falling forward while eating breakfast in a diner owned by an ex-Amish woman. The bishop dies. The doctor's at the hospital determined that he was poisoned and wanted to perform an autopsy. The family refused, citing their faith. Identifying the killer was difficult because every one in the Amish community hated Enick, including his two sons. He was always yelling at people and finding fault where there was none. Without an autopsy the field of suspects was large and difficult for Sheriff Carr to sift through. Complicating matters were two ministers who were angling to be voted the next bishop. In addition, there were three break-ins at the Zook dairy farm that caused their cows to roam free in the street as well as breaking a pipe necessary for the production of milk and cream. 

Into this mix is Rosie Weaver and her two friends, Lovina and Irma, who are members of her murder mysyery book club. Known in the community as gossips, the trio is having a hard time getting neighbors to answer questions. Their plan is to be wherever large groups of people are gathered and to listen carefully to the whispers. The plan works of course. The ladies then meet to discuss what they have heard and rule out each suspect one by one. Sometimes Sheriff Carr asks them what they know because none of the Amish will tell him much as they do not trust law enforcement.

Hidden Poison is a delightful cozy Amish mystery that cozy lovers will enjoy. 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #48

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.

I am excited to read R. G. Kuang's newest novel Taipei Story. It won't be published until September 8, 2026 so I have a few months to wait. I read his novel Yellowface last year and loved it. Even if I hadn't read any of his earlier works, I would probably want to read this novel because the book cover is gorgeous.

The story takes place during one summer in the Taiwan capital city Taipei. Lily Chen is  the main character. She's a college freshman who is studying a language program in order to connect with her Chinese heritage. It’s a difficult transition for Lily who feels like a foreigner in a country she thought she would feel at home.  Her classes are grueling and she can't stand her roommate. After her grandfather passes away, Lily mourns the fact that she will not be able to ask him questions about their family history. Lily soon realizes that knowing the Chinese language will not bring her closer to her relatives.

What book(s) are you waiting to read?

Eight Perfect Murders

I am so impressed with this novel. The plot premise concerns a blog post written by a bookstore owner wherein he listed eight crime novels with perfect, unsolvable murders. The owner becomes a suspect in several murders where it seems that a killer used this book list to recreate unsolvable murders.

The publisher's summary: 

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack―which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”―chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, A. A. Milne's The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. MacDonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.

But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move in a twisty cat and mouse game―a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead―and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.

As with all Peter Swanson books  I was hooked from the first page. If there is one word to describe the plot it's Hitchcockian. That's a word, right? Swanson delivers this thriller with tantalizing clues and a shocking ending. Also, I am impressed with the idea that someone is nutty enough to duplicate so-called "perfect" murders in mystery novels.

Malcolm's relationship with FBI agent Gwen Mulvy was a little off. She interviewed him in the beginning of the story and told him her entire theory of her case. That was odd. What was odder was that Malcolm decided to get in her car wjen he didn't have to and drive to the murder scene of one of his bookstore's big customers. It was strange that she asked and strange that he agreed to go with her in her car. Wouldn't most people drive separately given a choice? Their conversation in her car was bizarre. Malcolm revealed alot about himself and his deceased wife. I felt he was indirectly telling Gwen that he had reason to kill his wife. She did not take the bate though.

The big reveal of the whodunnit was a slow burn. Into the second half of the book the details began to be revealed. I didn't catch the clues until later in the story. Eight Perfect Murders is a suspense thriller on steroids. Mystery lovers simply must read this book. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Little Eve

Little Eve won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and also the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel. After reading author Catriona Ward's phenomenal Last House on Needless Street last year, I placed all of her books on my TBR list. Little Eve was published in 2022.

The publisher's summary:

A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.

Oh my goodness. This story is freaky. For the first third of the book I wasn't sure what was happening. I thought that Uncle, an older man "taking care" of six girls, might be a cult leader. He seemed to be promoting a snake god. After several chapters I determined that I was correct but the reasons why were not clear until the story progressed. Where the girls came from was also unclear. I thought he was stealing them from families but the truth is worse. The girls, Alice, Evelyn (Eve), Dinah, Nora, Elizabeth, Rose and a boy named Abel were kept by Uncle in a dilapidated old castle and were not allowed to mingle with other kids. A few of the kids that they knew from school were Sarah Buchanan and Jamie MacRaith. Several of the girls were infatuated with Jamie. He was cute and had a sunny disposition. Sarah taunts the girls one day and she pays a huge price for it. We read in the beginning that all the girls are missing an eye. No information is given on how that came about until the ending. It was scary and very graphic.

Little Eve begins with the discovery of a ritualistic murder on a Scottish isle during WWII. The woman who discovers the bodies and the woman who supposedly murdered them serve as narrators for the rest of the story. Some of the horror elements include the kids becoming used to handling snakes and being thrown into the Wane when they do not follow the rules. That was awful. The police begin investigating the group after a man is killed. Detective Black visits the castle several times but can't get the full story because the girls and Uncle constantly lie to him.

Little Eve is a fascinating read. I loved it and recommend the book. 5 out of 5 stars.

American Han

American Han was written by Lisa Lee. When I first noticed the book I thought Lisa See was the author. See is one of my favorite authors and I had high hopes for the read. Unfortunately, I didn't care too much for the story. The book was published a few weeks ago on March 31, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, Jane Kim and her brother, Kevin, dutifully embodied the model minority myth as their parents demanded: both stellar tennis players and academically gifted, they worked hard to make their parents proud. Jane went on to law school. Kevin came close to becoming a professional tennis player. But where they started is nowhere near where they have ended up: Jane has stopped going to her law school classes, and Kevin, now a policeman, has become increasingly distant. Their parents, each on their own path toward the elusive American Dream (their mother hell-bent on having the perfect house and the perfect family, their father obsessed with working his way up from one successful business to the next), don’t want to see the family unraveling. When Kevin goes missing, no one recognizes his absence as the warning sign it is until it erupts, forcing them all to come to terms with their past and present selves in a country that isn’t all it promised it would be. Both deeply serious and wickedly funny, American Han is a profound story about striving and assimilation, difficult love, and family fidelity. A searing portrait that challenges assumptions about the immigrant experience, Lisa See’s debut introduces a powerful new voice on the literary landscape. 

Not much happened in the first hundred pages. It primarily consisted of dialogue between Jane and her mother with her mother talking like a stereotypical Korean mother. It got a little old after awhile. I don't believe that it was necessary to have that much Korean conversation for the reader to understand how Korean mothers think and speak. That said, I would describe this novel as atmospheric concerning the Korean immigrant experience. While atmospheric stories do not interest me, it might interest other readers.

The rest of the book wasn't much better. There are chapters showing her father trying to assimilate but never getting it right. Many chapters were about Jane's brother Kevin and these were intense. In the first half all we hear about Kevin is how much better than Jane he was. However, Kevin had problems with rage. He flunked out of college and wandered aimlessly. Eventually Kevin got a job as a police officer. Four months into the job he was filmed beating and kicking a homeless man and then shooting him in the head. He was on the news every day for months. The man survived and Kevin returned to his job.

The title was curious. I don't know what han means but it must relate to the problems of Korean immigration. I feel that this background on the family could have been the setting for a mystery or historical fiction novel. Having to read 276 pages showing the dysfunction in the family was not enough for me.

2 out of 5 stars.