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Emma Makepeace returns with new enemies in her sights--but this time she must work undercover on a Russian oligarch's yacht without MI6 contact. She faces unknown dangers and heartbreaking betrayal in this fast-paced novel. Ava Glass's Alias Emma was a fast-paced cat-and-mouse chase across London and through an underground warren of tunnels, all part of an elaborate plan to avoid Russian murderers. It was also a book that hit the spot and suited my mood perfectly when I read it. Emma Makepeace returns in the second book in the series, The Traitor, and when one thing leads to another, Emma finds herself working undercover on a ruthless Russian oligarch's yacht. But Emma is cut off from tracking, useful intel, and protection from MI6. She's got just days to figure out what the dangerous men are up to--and these are men who feel accountable to no one and well above the law. Oh, and someone who's supposed to be on her side may have revealed her true identity to those who want her dead. Glass moves the story along in entertaining fashion. The novel references elements from book one, such as Emma's familial career inspiration, but it isn't necessary to have first read Alias Emma in order to dive into this story. I love a spy book, a book about Russia, and a feisty, strong young female protagonist, and The Traitor offers all three. I wasn't shocked by the story's twist, but Glass didn't make me feel manipulated or red-herring me to death along the way. I received a prepublication edition of this book, published yesterday, courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group--Ballantine, Bantam. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? You can check out my review of Alias Emma here. You might also like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Books about Brave Female Spies and Six More Books about Brave Female Spies.

Sutanto's Vera Wong is playful, brusque, bossy, and connects an unlikely cast of characters, all murder suspects, into a heartwarming friendship that feels like family. Vera Wong is running a largely unvisited tea house, lamenting her grown son's lack of time for her, and grumbling about the new "French" bakery that's just opened down the street in Chinatown. When a dead body shows up in her tea house, Vera takes charge of the investigation of what only she is certain is a murder. She slips potential evidence into her pocket, gathers and questions those she thinks are suspects, and bosses around the police. Marshall, the deceased, was a petty, obnoxious, verbally abusive, selfish, belittling jackass. (It's not clear why anyone put up with him, but he is described as having been handsome and as having fooled absolutely everyone with a nice-guy act.) As the truth comes out about Marshall's activities and his final evening, it becomes clear that each character has a possible motivation for having offed Marshall, so to Vera, each is a potential killer. She throws dinner parties and facilitates get-together to study her subjects. And along the way, Vera's brusque truth-telling inspires an unlikely group of friends to form a special bond that's more like that of a family. This was absolutely my favorite part of the book. I can't help comparing this lighthearted fiction about the formation of a group of unlikely friends to another recent read of mine, The Lonely Hearts Book Club. In that book, I kept feeling stopped by wondering why the heck anyone would continue delving daily into the orbit of a brutally grumpy and unappreciative character. But in Vera Wong, while Vera is pushy she is also deeply caring, helpful, and serves as a connector--and the unlikable character in the story died before the book begins. I listened to the playful, heartwarming Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers as an audiobook, narrated by Eunice Wong. This was a fast read (listen), and while the denouement didn't completely hold together for me and the loose ends were tied up with extreeeeeemely tidy bows, the story was really about the relationships and Vera's coming into her own, and I adored these aspects. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Jesse Q. Sutanto is also the author of Dial A for Aunties, Four Aunties and a Wedding, The New Girl, Well, That Was Unexpected, The Obsession, I'm Not Done with You Yet, and the Theo Tan series for young readers.

Book two of Thomas's Lady Sherlock series offers a robust dual mystery, clever female characters, priceless A Study in Scarlet Women was the first book in Sherry Thomas's gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes mystery Lady Ingram is seeking confidential answers to the mystery of the disappearance of someone revealed as A Study in Scarlet Women is the first book in Sherry Thomas's gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes mystery This series invites comparisons to another fantastic Victorian-era-set mystery series featuring a strong

The fourth mystery in Johnson's Truly Devious series delivers more smart, creative sleuthing from Stevie The Box in the Woods is another smart, funny, intriguing young adult mystery from Maureen Johnson. Johnson's Truly Devious series offers dark scenes, wicked mysteries, blossoming attractions, loyal and Stevie is recruited by a young entrepreneur with a passion for true-crime podcasts to revisit a murder mystery , Allison, Nate, Janelle, and David and their dialogue are fantastic as always.

Atkinson's newest mystery is set in vivid Roaring Twenties London as Nellie Coker struggles to hold on to her empire of clubs while mysterious dark undercurrents threaten stability throughout the city. by the intersection of Gwendolyn and Ma Coker's golden child, her eldest son Niven--along with the mystery If you like historical fiction mysteries, you might like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Mysteries Sure to Intrigue You.

Johnson's young adult series, set in a boarding school in rural Vermont, with compelling past and present mysteries Decades later, mystery aficionado Stevie Bell arrives as a new student at Ellingham Academy, determined But a new mystery emerges--and Truly Devious, who had taken credit for the original crime, seems to be wonderfully wrought rural Vermont setting, copious teen angst, and the long-ago but persistent and compelling mystery You might also like the young adult mysteries One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, and the stellar

the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying revenge fantasies camp; and winds it all through our middle-aged heroines' satisfying solving of a disturbing set of mysteries Nessa, Jo, and Harriet work together and use their newfound abilities to try to solve the mystery of The revenge-fantasy element is particularly satisfying. For purely campy mysteries, you might try Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and its sequel, Finlay Donovan

David Joy's mystery, Those We Thought We Knew, set in the North Carolina mountains, explores issues of The evil at the center of the mystery was a surprise because of the varied points of view, so while I bit manipulated, I was also glad to not have been certain of the disturbing truth behind the deadly mystery But the book was driven by plot, multiple mysteries, the North Carolina mountain setting, and the story's

I was most intrigued by Kurczy's exploration of the National Radio Quiet Zone and the nearby military facility, but the book felt a little disjointed to me when he delved into some of the regional goings-on that weren't seemingly related to the main topic. Around the country, the tourism bureau had begun distributing a new brochure that read: "Welcome to the National Radio Quiet Zone. 13,000 square miles of land, federally protected from artificial radio wave interference, where the secrets of the universe can be revealed by the world's largest steerable radio telescope at the Green Bank Observatory. Meaning no cell service. No Wi-Fi. Just you, your family, and our grand outdoors. Find your peace." Technology in Green Bank, West Virginia, is not allowed by law--unless you're working in the Green Bank Observatory. Astronomers there use cutting-edge technology to search the stars--while everyone in the area is barred from using devices whose radio frequencies might interfere with scientific study. That means no cell phones, no iPads, and no constant connectivity. At least on paper. "You do have a cellphone that works, correct?" Linda asked. I shook my head. "You don't have a fucking cellphone?" Thompson said. Even he had a cellphone, just no data plan because money was tight. "Really?" By exploring an area of rural Appalachia where cell phone signals and Wi-Fi are banned, journalist Stephen Kurczy considers one of the few places in the United States where technology purportedly does not rule society. But not everyone who comes to Green Bank finds the quiet they're searching for. And many Green Bank locals don't want to abide by the Quiet Zone rules at all--and don't. In fact, Kurczy finds that he seems to be one of a distinct minority in the region who is not carrying a cell phone and hooked up to Wi-Fi. I had to come to Green Bank on the presumption that the less connected life was richer--which seemed to be bearing itself out. But I was also staring down a rabbit hole of alien hunters, government spies, and Wi-Fi refugees. I was interested in the various links and synergistic relationship between the observatory and a nearby military facility, and I was most hooked on the way The Quiet Zone illustrates the contradictions and complications of the seemingly idyllic, forced radio silence in the area. But by the time Kurczy dug into some of the most alarming real-life characters from the Green Bank community (including the doctor who once dressed as a clown--the person the Robin Williams-starring movie Patch Adams was based upon--and members of a well-known hate group that has taken root on a mountaintop in the area), the book began to feel a little disjointed. Yet Kurczy's nonfiction explores the treasure of a promise of quiet in a world largely filled with noise, stimulation, information, images, and constant input, and I found the early sections of the book particularly compelling. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? If you like nonfiction books, you might like the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Compelling Nonfiction Reads.

Cosimano's mystery has a wonderfully quirky setup and campy tone, and Finlay's missteps add to the darkly The woman mistakenly interprets what's happening and leaves Finlay with a mysterious note implying that Cosimano's mystery has a wonderfully quirky setup and campy tone. Cosimano is also the author of the young adult mystery series Nearly Gone, the young adult fantasy series

my six favorite reads of the past month: Renaissance-set historical fiction, two historical fiction mysteries Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas This first book in Sherry Thomas's gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes mystery A Restless Truth is the second in Freya Marske's queer fantasy mystery Last Binding trilogy that began By doing so, Maud aims to help her beloved older brother resolve a magical mystery that's been decades A Restless Truth is fun and quirky yet has depth, an appealingly complicated mystery, and a satisfying

Take responsibility for yourself, mister! The structure of the story and its focus on Joe and his attempt to master time travel didn't allow me Yet I loved the premise of this story, and I do love a time-travel book and a mystery.

ICYMI: North Carolina author Rash offers a fascinating, Appalachian-set mystery told from various points This makes the book feel like a series of character studies with a mystery underlying it all.

This is a character-driven mystery with a twist. This is a character-driven mystery with an interesting twist.

series, we learn more about Stoker's past, secrets, heartbreak, and motivations; are treated to more fantastic Clever Veronica and gruff Stoker will need to unravel the mystery of an ancient curse and powerful lies The mystery here is interesting and unfolds at an engaging pace, but it's not the primary focus of the past, and Raybourn offers a number of explanations for some of the previous book's alluded-to personal mysteries Beginning, the first book in Deanna Raybourn's sassy Veronica Speedwell series of historical fiction mysteries

reflect, and I preferred that aspect of this book--which features a main character from The River--to the mystery

death-row inmate's desperate need for escapism leads to an elaborate world of magical thinking and fantastical He imagines a rich imaginary world full of fantastical visions, and these thoughts sustain him through

He's a fantastic character I loved. This great book by C.A. also want to read Carey's The Boy on the Bridge, which is a standalone book in the same series, is fantastic

I could have listed so many fantastic young adult titles here, but I picked these varied, wonderful six With true friendship, loyalty, and fantastic, clever, clever ladies overcoming obstacles in their paths

I listened to Good Material as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book?

The murder mystery stories were written decades before the book's present-day events take place and are I like a mystery that makes me care about the characters and doesn't foreshadow too much. Which mysteries hooked you this year? This is a pretty eclectic group of mysteries. If you like mysteries, you might also like titles from the Greedy Reading Lists The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year and Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You.

the lives of those in New Bremen that fateful summer, and the Frank of forty years later recounts the mysteries Krueger has also written eighteen books in his Cork O'Connor mystery series, including Desolation Mountain

A hundred and fifty years later, a young archivist, Elodie Winslow, is drawn to the mystery. I’m glad the circumstances of what led to the mystery—yikes! The story is dark, mysterious, and feels Gothic, yet there's humor too. What are your favorite historical fiction mysteries? I love an intersection of historical fiction and mystery, two genres I adore.

Hour of the Witch is a thoroughly researched, witchy, historical thriller with fantastic details of the Hour of the Witch is a thoroughly researched historical thriller with fantastic details of the time that Bohjalian is also the author of a fantastic book about World War II, Skeletons at the Feast, the difficult

I'm taking a short break from posting--and I hope to read some fantastic books to share with you when I've got these books going at the moment: recently published fantasy-historical fiction, the second in a mystery series set in Maine, a novel about an unconventional family in late 20th century Manhattan

A Twisty, Fast-Paced, Con-Artist Mystery 01 First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston Elston's first adult novel ticked all of my mystery-reading boxes: a con artist, fake identity, dangerous boss, complicated mark Elston has an upcoming mystery, Anatomy of an Alibi , scheduled for publication January 13. For my full review--I rated this mystery 4 stars--please check out this link . Other mysteries you might want to gift: Richard Osman's charming Thursday Murder Club series , Steve

This is a great, character-driven sequel to McManus’s young adult mystery One of Us Is Lying. Last year, in McManus's great young adult mystery One of Us Is Lying, the Bayview Four cut through the destructive gossip app taking down reputations and revealing secrets, and they managed to trace a mysterious Bronwyn, and Knox from book one--along with other old favorites and new faces--in a set of intertwined, mysterious McManus offers a little of everything in a fantastic mix of teamwork, a health scare, sibling tensions

01 The Witch Elm A Tana French mystery is usually a pretty good bet for me, and I plowed through The settings are exquisitely wrought, with stark, rugged, lush landscapes serving as the backdrop for a mystery It isn't a police procedural; this is a starkly beautiful book that happens to be a mystery. What mystery/suspense reads have been your favorites lately? It feels like the time of year to be stocking up on spooky books and mysteries.

The Scottish speech patterns were fantastic (but what a job for the copy editor!). #mystery, #fantasyscifi, #series, #LGBTQ, #fourstarbookreview

the main players at one point or another and couldn't wait for the big reveal for this young adult mystery This is an absorbing young adult mystery; I listened to it as an audiobook and really liked hearing each If you like this book, you might also like the young adult mystery A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly

I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Sarah Rees Brennan's darkly playful dive into life as a villain in a fantasy story, Long Live Evil ; I'm reading Liz Moore's newest mystery, set in a 1975 Adirondack summer camp dying, and in a panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her favorite fantasy Sarah Rees Brennan is also the author of the fantastic character-driven young-adult fantasy In Other

Nick is an appealing character, I adored the detailed setting, and the mystery's resolution makes sense I hoped this was going to be the perfect cozy book for reading over a long weekend: an Elizabethan mystery This is the second in Wolfe's Elizabethan Spy Mystery series; the first was A Murder by Any Name. If you like mysteries and historical fiction like I do, you might also like some of the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You.

Kingfisher novel, the fantasy story and retelling of the Grimm Brothers' Goose Girl , A Sorceress Comes Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted Novik has also written the Temeraire series of nine fantastic books about dragons, their riders, their When a neighbor dies mysteriously, Cordelia's mother insists they leave town in the middle of the night

This is an appealingly cozy and old-fashioned mystery, with the flavors, sights, and sounds of colonial He becomes obsessed with an unsolved mystery he keeps reading about in the newspaper: two young ladies There are disturbingly dark issues underlying the mystery (including strict rules about caste and class Nev March won the Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award for this, her debut title. You might also like some of the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to

I'm Reading Now I'm reading The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby , an art-focused historical fiction mystery in two timelines; I'm reading The Tainted Cup , a fascinating fantasy-science-fiction mystery by Robert The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby , Ellery Lloyd offers a gorgeously wrought historical fiction mystery fiction-feeling story, a Sherlock Holmes and Watson-type investigatory relationship, and fascinating otherworldly fantasy

The Books I'm Reading Now I guess this list is an Escape from Reality attempt, as I have three fantasy I'm listening to Ruby Dixon's sassy fantasy novel, Bull Moon Rising ; I'm reading M. L. Wang's recently published dark academia novel, Blood Over Bright Haven ; and I'm reading Frances White's fantasy story about mysterious deaths on a magical ship journey, Voyage of the Damned . The cover is arresting, and the sparkles and art are a nod to the novel's fantasy genre.

The focus on the power of books is fantastic. the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying revenge fantasies camp; and winds it all through our middle-aged heroines' satisfying solving of a disturbing set of mysteries

story about loss and a love of books; a darkly funny book about loss and grief; and the third and final mystery She receives a mysterious message from the owner of Book Lane, a local London bookshop, and learns that review. 06 The Keeper (Cal Hooper #3) by Tana French The third in the Cal Hooper series is a slow-burn mystery The Keeper is an almost 500-page slow burn mystery, and an undercurrent of tension and danger exists After a time the mystery is no longer a mystery; the main unknown is which form the community's renegade

; I'm listening to Jen Hatmaker's memoir Awake ; and I'm listening to my newly discovered favorite fantasy Kingfisher imagines richly imagined fantasy worlds, and within them slots fantastically imperfect and This is my fantasy sweet spot. T. Kingfisher is also the author of many other novels.

postwar San Francisco; I'm listening to The Knight and the Moth , the first in Rachel Gillig's rich fantasy series with a slight romantic storyline; and I'm reading Amity Gaige's Heartwood , a missing-persons mystery So far this is a richly built fantasy world with a minor romance aspect; it's a balance I'm really liking

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to SenLinYu's 1000-plus-page fantasy novel Alchemised , which started as dark Harry Potter fan fiction; I'm reading Benjamin Wood's northern-England-set quiet, mysterious 01 Alchemised by SenLinYu This beast of a fantasy novel (it's 1040 pages) tracks a healer and alchemist

adventure, a mystery to be solved, and simmering romance with No Swooning or Annoying Drama whatsoever Kingfisher imagines richly imagined fantasy worlds, and within them she slots fantastically imperfect This is my fantasy sweet spot. through India, New York, family and romantic relationships, and career false starts, with missteps, mysterious Current-day conflicts link to generational trauma, storytelling, and mysterious power.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Tasha Suri's rich story-within-a-story fantasy novel The Isle in the Silver Sea ; I'm reading Thrity Umrigar's recently published mystery about a missing woman, our climate, the power of love, and the strength of assumptions, Missing Sam ; and I'm continuing my recent mystery Algonquin Books and NetGalley. 03 Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell I've been continuing my cold-weather mystery-reading

Wolfe Going into Thanksgiving weekend with an Elizabethan mystery in hand, complete with intrigue, plotting loyalists looming over Elizabeth's court, Nicholas Holt, a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, must unravel the mystery This is the second in Wolfe's Elizabethan Spy Mystery series; the first was A Murder by Any Name. 03 Light fiction, historical fiction mystery, and celebrity memoir.

centuries-old war her people have waged against the ruthless summerlings--and the ferocious grudges those mysterious My Extensive Love for Naomi Novik's Fiction Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels Novik has also written the Temeraire series of nine fantastic books about dragons, their riders, their

But one by one, the Osage began to be killed under mysterious circumstances. Edgar Hoover turning to a former Texas Ranger, Tom White, to head up the group trying to figure out the mystery Chakraborty I'm listening to the first wonderful installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy Then a mysterious, wealthy matriarch preys upon Amina's need for funds--and her desire for one final, , and smart, with wonderful banter, a gruff and independent, saucy main protagonist in Amina, and a fantastic

Elaborate mythology swirls around the mysterious author of the blockbuster fantasy series The Falling Goldhero, and fans dream up fantastical stories about the writer and his life.

Cosby's Razorblade Tears, two men are coping with the tragic, violent, mysterious deaths of their married I loved his gritty, character-driven mystery-thriller Blacktop Wasteland so much that it made my Six camp; and winds it all through our middle-aged heroines' satisfying solving of a disturbing set of mysteries Nessa, Jo, and Harriet work together and use their newfound abilities to try to solve the mystery of incredible genetic cloning advancements--but people have noticed that her husband has recently been mysteriously

#mystery, #fantasyscifi, #series, #fourstarbookreview 02 My Lady Jane: The Lady Janies Series ​ I'd had fiction retelling of the story of King Edward, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary Queen of Scots--with an oddball fantasy This is funny, and smart, with clever asides, wonderful character development, and fantastic banter.

Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to A Steeping of Blood , the second in Hafsah Faizal's supernatural fantasy The first installment in Hafsah Faizal's Blood and Tea series offered intriguing secrets, a swirling mystery