By Amy Pease
** Publication Date 6 January 2026**
4 stars


I loved the first novel, Northwood, so very much. Eli North is a broken but very lovable deputy sheriff in the small town of Shaky Lake, Wisconsin. In the first novel, he is forced to work with a formidable but competent FBI agent, Alyssa Mason. The two butt heads, have chemistry, and all the stuff. 


Here in the second installment, Eli and his mother, Sheriff Marge North, find themselves with what looks like a murder scene with no victim. When FBI agent Alyssa Mason appears at the scene, Eli knows this won’t be just a murder they’re investigating. Apparently last summer’s drug bust was simply the tip of the iceberg. 


Eli and Alyssa do their dance around one another in this novel as well, keeping each other at arm’s length. The tiny sheriff department of Shaky Lake, consisting of one sheriff, one deputy, and one dispatcher, really needs the assistance of the FBI on this one. Because this missing woman isn’t just any missing person. 


You don’t need to have read the first novel to enjoy this one. While it helps bring together the history of Eli and Alyssa, and the mess in the town of Shaky Lake, there are enough references and explanations to keep you abreast. However, I really fell in love with the characters and the setting with the first novel. This novel simply builds on that.


A true mystery. It is written with the narrative of the missing woman and the narrative of the current investigation cleanly woven together. It’s a page turner. While it is a crime novel, the blood and gore are minimal. It’s a suspenseful journey to figure out what is going to happen.


Great fireplace read for the winter!

By Rachel Hawkins 
** Publication Date 6 January 2026 **
​4 stars




Rachel Hawkins NEVER disappoints me. I have yet to read a book that I didn’t want to zoom through so I could find out what happens. The Storm is no exception.


Geneva lives in a small town in coastal Alabama called St. Medard’s Bay. She took over her parent’s hotel after her mom could no longer handle the responsibility. At the time she had a significant other who thought it would be fun. Of course, he didn’t stick around to find out.


So now Geneva has the responsibility of running a beachfront hotel that has withstood many hurricanes over the years. Her credit cards are maxed out. She’s exhausted. Yet, she puts on a happy face and serves these customers. Her sidekick is Edie, an older woman who showed up one day and never left. Without Edie, Geneva would be lost.


An email arrives requesting that a writer, August, wants to rent a room for at least a month. He’s willing to pay twice what the room is worth. He also needs a second room for the reason he is coming to town, Lo Bailey. Lo was once tried for the murder of the Alabama Governor’s son during the last big hurricane in 1984. Lo was found not guilty, but never could shake the image of the seductress/mistress who killed her lover. 


While Geneva has concerns about what this could mean for the hotel, her credit cards say she needs to take the booking. And when August and Lo make themselves at home in the hotel and a part of Geneva’s life, things start to get tricky. Add in yet another tropical storm thinking about making landfall at the Roaalie Inn, and things take a really dark turn. 


Another gem from Hawkins. Honestly, I zip through her novels so quickly because she knows how to write a good tale. Picking up all the crazy threads and weaving them together is her speciality. Suspense and intrigue go without saying. She’s got a gift for making a book fun to read.


100% recommend this one. 

By Jennie Godfrey
** Publication Date 30 December 2025 **
​4 stars


In the early 1980s there was a terrible crime spree against women committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. It caught the attention of all of England, but especially the residents of Yorkshire, as they couldn’t believe one of their own could commit such crimes. 


Miv is a young girl trying to understand her world. Her mother has been silent for years, and occasionally takes ‘breaks’ from living with them. Her father spends a lot of time out of the house, at work and then the pub. Because of all this, Miv’s Aunt Jean moved in to care for the family.


Because of Miv’s home situation, she sometimes feels as though she is an outcast. Except for Sharon. Sharon is Miv’s best friend through and through. The girls do everything together, even having tea once a week at Sharon’s home. When Miv decides she wants to find the Yorkshire Ripper, Sharon goes along, hesitantly. In doing so, the girls open up a whole new world to them, both good and bad. They befriend people in their neighborhood, finding shelter where sometimes Miv felt there was none. 


As the time goes one and the investigation by both the police and the girls finds nothing, the girls start to grow up and change. Sometimes this throws a wedge between the two, and Miv feels it more soundly than Sharon. Changes will come to their neighborhood as well, both good and bad. The Yorkshire Ripper still being on the loose.


This novel explores friendship, both typical and uncommon, racism, violent crime, mental illness, and growing up. It is a lot. While the novel can tend to be a bit slow at times, Miv is an amazing protagonist. It is very emotional living vicariously through her experiences. As someone who does not remember the Yorkshire Ripper case, I found the story compelling. And while that is a common thread throughout the novel, the novel is more about Miv than anything else. 


Really well written. Highly recommend