Review: Her Deadly Game

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I first picked this book’s sequel up in Vancouver without realizing it was the second in the series, but since I was about to move to Beaverton, I decided instead to place both books on order there. Funny that this ended up being one of my first library books in Beaverton, and it name drops my new hometown. Not the first time Dugoni’s done that…well, sort of, since one of the early Tracy Crosswhite books takes place in a fictional Washington town that’s based on White Salmon, and I didn’t live there, but I worked there. But this book, the first Keera Duggan legal thriller, largely takes place in Tracy Crosswhite’s Seattle (Faz being one of a few of her colleagues to cameo as courtroom witnesses), and while the actual case is a bit of a twist in a very downer way, it’s the family drama - the hella Irish family drama - that keeps me more invested and ready to start on the sequel right away.

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Review: A Dead Draw

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Robert Dugoni’s latest Tracy Crosswhite story wouldn’t be out of place on Rizzoli & Isles, as it’s highly reminiscent of Rizzoli facing off against her age old nemesis the Surgeon and his Apprentice. Except this time, it’s largely the Apprentice analogue, Erik Schmidt, getting out of prison on a technicality, allowing him to pose a serious threat to Tracy’s family and her old hometown of Cedar Grove. Especially a singular young woman named Lydia, who is autistic, but no less gutsy for it. It’s not the first time Dugoni has written an autistic character in the Tracy Crosswhite series, but this time I’d say he did a better job. Though Lydia’s “infomercial” stimming walks the fine line of stereotype, in his notes at the end, Dugoni acknowledges that he’s spoken to autistic people who appreciated his depiction of the spectrum, and how he feels a certain commonality with our community due to his own disability as a stroke survivor. It’s too bad I moved out of Vancouver, because I know he’s scheduled to visit as a guest of the local library this weekend, and I could’ve told him my thoughts in person too.

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Review: The Invisible Parade

The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At this point, it’s safe to say that Bardugo has truly written for all ages, now that she’s collaborated with John Picacio on this lovely and moving picture book. I’d almost forgotten about it, however, until I popped into Powell’s in my new hometown of Beaverton and saw this book almost perfectly front and center on a display for Hispanic Heritage Month. And now that Día de Muertos approaches, this book’s rumination on grief and how it affects children is perfectly timed, and I hope as many school librarians get to read this to as many kids as possible.

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Review: To Clutch a Razor

To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

V-Roth returns with her second novella of dark Polish magick and monsters. I said after reading When Among Crows last year that that book was simply too short to really capture its full worldbuilding potential…well, be careful what you wish for and all that. Not that this book was bad - it was still a pretty good exploration of this extended family of creepery and Halloween appropriate chills, all in a bite sized Dresden Files package - and incidentally, if I remember correctly, Dymitr’s part in the ceremonies of Empty Night shares its name with Jim Butcher’s projected final Dresden novel, capping off a planned apocalyptic finale trilogy. And then there’s the John Wick of it all too, particularly drawing inspiration from the sequels and their depiction of Wick’s extended family of death angels. While this series continues to annoy with its tantalizing but all too brief glimpses of its demimonde, paired with oddly interchangeable POV’s (a longtime flaw for Roth, well documented), Roth always deserves praise for weaving in the diverse influences on Polish myth and culture, from old Slavic to Orthodox to Catholic and, of course, Jewish.

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Review: This Inevitable Ruin

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Okay.

I’ve had enough.

I’ve had absolutely enough of this overblown, bloated, neverending nonsense.

This must be what it’s like when non-Marvel fans see the MCU continue to exist, because at this point all I’m seeing is a pile of stupid immature jokes, increasingly unlikable characters, the Random Events Plot to end all Random Events Plots…seriously, how the hell did this series get so fortunate to be plucked from obscurity, reissued in mass market hardcovers big enough to be used as weapons (and taking all the quality paper while even Dan Brown has to print his newest hardcover on Bible thin paper…)

At least Dinniman himself seems like a good dude. But my God I can’t handle his writing anymore.

I’m done.

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Review: The Executioners Three

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susan Dennard’s recent shift into modern YA fantasy and mystery didn’t really work for me with The Luminaries, but her newest novel, a standalone mystery novel set in 1999, works far better for me. Perhaps it’s the creepy atmosphere perfect for the Halloween season, helped by the fact that the book takes place somewhere in New England (well, it’s not for certain, but I’d guess that the French nature of the old Village Historique places this one in Maine specifically) and features tons of X Files and Buffy references, right down to the protagonist sharing her last name with Buffy’s iconic actress. It’s a throwback in a lot of ways, but with more relatable characters and vibes on point throughout, this has proven by far to be Dennard’s best work during her extended hiatus from the Witchlands…a hiatus soon to end at long last with the long delayed grand finale of her signature saga.

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Review: Lessons in Magic and Disaster

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this one more. I’ve been reading and enjoying Charlie Jane Anders for years, and normally I really love her work, but this one was just a bit too messy for me. Though, to be fair, Jamie, her protagonist, does confess to being quite a messy person, but those around her are often just as messed up if not more so. And I’m not just talking about the post truth trolls feeding her and her family into the ever hungry right wing outrage machine, but also about the family who continues a cycle of generational trauma, still a very common theme in fiction these days. I’d probably have liked this book more if it had focused more on the secrets of 18th century literature, because it’s clear that that’s one of Anders’s special interests, and was easily the most fascinating part of the book by light years. But this is not that book, and yet because it’s Anders, I’ll be generous and round up from 2.5 to 3 on this one.

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Review: Among the Burning Flowers

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Samantha Shannon’s having a very prosperous year in 2025, with both this book and The Dark Mirror on tap. A new standalone story in the world of Roots of Chaos, this book is more of a deep dive into the Spanish- and Italian-inspired land of Yscalin, a lovely but volcanic place where Draconic threats are always lurking, and feeling a bit too close to home these days. I expect Shannon’s Italian research for The Dark Mirror helped fuel much of this book, atmospherically. Long enough to be a novel in its own right, but short enough to stand out compared to the massive books Shannon usually writes in this series, it’s a great intro to this world for newcomers - or those who forgot just how great this series was to begin with.

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