Tag: 4 Stars Page 1 of 88

REPOST (and a note): The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: A charming, earnest and frequently delightful space opera that pretty much matches the hype.

On March 3, 2026

In 2018 First Reads Challenge, Fiction

We talked about this at Book Club last night, so I thought I’d dust this off and run it again. I think I get what I was going for in the 8th/ante-penultimate paragraph back in ’18, but I wouldn’t write it today, or anything like it, really. I’m also pretty sure that I’d rate it higher, if I were still rating things with stars–at the very least, I wouldn’t dither about it like I did. Still, this is close enough to what I’d say now that I don’t feel like redoing it.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers
Series: Wayfarers, #1Paperback, 443 pg.
Harper Voyager, 2018
Read: July 18 – 20, 2018

We are all made from chromosomes and DNA, which themselves are made from a select handful of key elements. We all require a steady intake of water and oxygen to survive (though in varying quantities). We all need food. We all buckle under atmospheres too thick or gravitational fields too strong. We all die in freezing cold or burning heat. We all die, full stop.

Ohhhh boy. One of yesterday’s posts was easy — I state the premise, say the book lived up to the premise, and there ya go. A finished post. Today? I’m not sure I could succinctly lay out the premise in 6 paragraphs, much less say anything else about the book. It’s deep, it’s sprawling, it’s fun and full of heart. What isn’t it? Easy to talk about briefly.

So I’m going to cut some corners, and not give it the depth of discussion that I’d like to.

So you know how The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy starts off with the Vogon Constructor Fleet constructing a hyperspace bypass right through our Solar System? Well, if the Vogons were the megacorp doing that, the crew of the Wayfarer is your mom & pop-level company doing the same kind of work. But there are no Vogons, and it’s not a hyperspace bypass they’re constructing, but the metaphor works — the Wayfarer is building/cutting/creating ways for spaceships to make it from point A to point B faster — I’ll leave the detailed explanation to Sissix or Kizzy to explain when you read it (I think it was Kizzy, but I could be wrong — my copy is in another state, so it’s hard for me to check things like that).

The Wayfarer is made up of a mix of species — including human (some of which were raised on a planet, others not), the others? Well, they’d fit right in with the customers in the Mos Eisley Cantina (with names like Sissix or Kizzy) — too difficult to explain, but they’re all radically different from pretty much anything you’ve seen or read before. Chambers’ imagination when it comes to their physiology, culture, mannerisms, beliefs is just astounding. Really it’s fantastic. And the crew is a family — when a new crew member joins, they’re greeted with “welcome home.” And that’s just what they mean.

This new crew member is Rosemary Harper, our entry point into this world, too. She’s never been off-planet before, doesn’t understand the science behind the work they do, really only has textbook knowledge of most of the species they run into. As she learns, so does the reader. Phew. Essentially, the plot is this: the captain of Wayfarer gets a chance to make history and make more money than he’s used to — he jumps at it, but his crew has to take a freakishly long trip to get to the (for lack of a better term) construction site (see the title). This long trip is filled with dangers, encounters with family members no one has seen in ages and old friends. And pirates. Even when they get to the construction site, the challenges are just beginning and everyone on board is going to be put through the wringer just to survive.

In the midst of all this is laughter, love, joy, pain, sorrow, and learning. Rosemary becomes part of the family — by the actions of the crew bringing her in, and through her own reciprocal actions. Now, many parts of this book seem slow — but never laboriously slow — it’s the way that Chambers has to construct it so that we get the emotional bonds between the characters — and between the characters and the reader — firmly established, so that when the trials come, we’re invested. I was surprised how much I cared about the outcomes of certain characters at the end — it’s all because Chambers did just a good job building the relationships, nice and slow. The book frequently feels light — and is called that a lot by readers — but don’t mistake light for breezy.

I want to stress, it’s not laboriously slow, it’s not boring. It’s careful, it’s well-thought out. It’s your favorite chili made in the slow cooker all day, rather than dumping the ingredients in a pot an hour or so before dinner. It occasionally bugged me while reading, but by that time, I was invested and had a certain degree of trust for Chambers — and by the time I got to the end, I understood what she was doing in the slow periods and reverse my opinion of them.

I frequently felt preached at while reading this book. There were agendas all around and these characters did what they could to advance them. Most of the speechifying and preaching worked in the Wayfarer Universe, but not in ours. When I read it, I had no problem with it — but the more I think about it, the less I agree and the more annoyed I get. The opening quotation was one of the themes pushed, another had to do with family and/or brothers — but the best lines about those involve spoilers or need the context to be really effective, so go read them yourselves. I don’t want to get into a debate with the various characters in the book, so I’ll bypass the problems I have with just the note that I have them. But in the moment and in the context of the novel, the writing behind the characters’ points/values, the emotions behind them are moving, compelling and convincing — and that’s what you want, right?

It is super, super-easy to see why this won buckets of awards — and probably deserved most (if not all) of those awards. This is one of the better space operas I’ve read in the last few . . . ever, really. It’s easy to see why it got the hype and acclaim it did, and while I might not be as over-the-moon as many readers are with it, I understand their love. I heartily enjoyed it, and can see myself returning to this universe again soon.

As far as the star rating goes? I’ve vacillated between 3-5 a lot over the last week or so (including while writing this post), usually leaning high — so take this one with a grain of salt, it’s how I feel at the moment. (that’s all it ever is, really, but I’m usually more consistent)

—–

4 Stars

Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor: There Ain’t Nothing But The Blues In Mississippi

By HCNewton

On January 2, 2026

In Eli Cranor

I thought this went up months ago, but I just found it in my drafts folder, with some vague notes in the last section. I’m relatively unable to follow most of them, and wish I could. So, had you seen this in August/September, it would’ve been better. But let’s see what I can do here.

Mississippi Blue 42

by Eli Cranor

DETAILS:
Series: Rae Johnson, #1
Publisher: Soho Crime
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Length: 370 pg.
Read Date: August 7-11, 2025

So much depended on a ball stitched together from thirty-two panels of waterproofed leather. The fans came to see what the players did with that ball: the blazing touchdown runs, the high-flying, bone-crunching hits. And the players played for peanuts. That was the only way any enterprise could achieve the sort of profit margins enjoyed by universities with nationally ranked teams. The trick, though, was convincing the rest of the country that college football was not a business, but instead a game, a contest played on the field of higher education, which also served the Chiefs well when it came time to file their taxes.

Because the University of Central Mississippi was an educational organization, it enjoyed a 501(c)(3) status, which meant nearly every dollar the institution made was exempt from federal income tax. It was the same exception granted to churches…

Yes, Mississippi was in the Bible Belt, but the real holy day, the day when every true Southerner bowed at the altar, was game day. And in just a few more hours, the congregation would gather inside their recently renovated, five-hundred-million-dollar cathedral.

What’s Mississippi Blue 42 About?

Rae Johnson is the only daughter of a legendary college football coach and spent most of her life working to be one, too. But at a certain point, she hit the wall of misogyny (with her own father as a spokesman for the wall) and had to find a new career path. Naturally (?), she chose the FBI. We all see the overlap, right?

Anyway, she’s fresh out of the Academy and is assigned to her first case. She’s been sent to help investigate some financial crime surrounding the University of Central Mississippi’s football program. She knows she got the assignment due to her father, which grates her pride. But, she’s not going to back down from the challenge. Her partner in the investigation has been there for months and hasn’t gotten very far, but he’s determined to uncover the problems that he knows are there.

The veteran agent is just getting her acclimated to the investigation when the team’s quarterback

The Fight for the Soul of Moses McCloud

Moses stared at him, still not sure what to make of Cerge’s story, but thinking it felt right somehow, the wildness of his tale in tune with the flashy locker room: the nude white boys, the ping-pong table, the barber chairs. This wasn’t real life. It was all a dream, a four-year fantasy the players paid for with their lives. Even if they did make it to the League, even if they got paid, they still paid for it. And it wasn’t just their knees or shoulders, not even their brains. It went deeper than that. Once their playing days were over, they would be booted out of Eden, resigned to the stands to watch as the next crop of finely tuned athletes took their place. As extravagant as a Saturday spent tailgating in the Glades was, it did not compare to the roar of the crowd. Only gladiators know true glory.

This book, in many ways, seems to be a fight over the soul of the backup quarterback thrust into a leadership position—will he succumb to the culture of bagmen and fame, or will he risk his potential windfall and give Rae the information she needs?

I really like Moses from the beginning—sure, he’s got all the maturity of a college freshman (read: not as smart as he thinks he is, too easily distracted/led along by good-looking women), but there’s something about him you can’t help but like. I really think the battle for his soul angle isn’t that filled with suspense—it’s just the adults around him that fail to understand what he’s saying and what kind of guy he is all along.

But that actually makes the whole thing more entertaining for everyone who isn’t Moses.

What do I think about this as a series debut?

According to the press kit for this book:

Mississippi Blue 42 is the first in what is planned to be an ongoing series starring FBI Agent Rae Johnson as she and a cast of recurring characters explore crime in the world of sports.

Which sounds promising—especially the “world of sports” part. Not because I’m a big sports guy, but I had a hard time imagining Rae looking into some other kinds of crime because Cranor baked the sports-mindset so deeply into her. You put her in an art crime, or a counterfeit money situation? I just don’t see it working as well (but I was ready to try). Rae hunting down a crew of bank robbers would be interesting to see, I just don’t know if she gets into their heads. But even if you move her to professional sports—even something other than football, she’s got the right mindset, the right background to really give a series legs.

Rae reminds me of Ellie Hatcher, Renée Ballard, and Eve Ronin. She’s got ambition, she’s willing to cut corners (maybe too many), she’s determined to make it in a man’s world—and she lets all of that lead her into some blunders as she learns her way. The question is: will she learn from them? The other women did—I trust she will, too. But making those mistakes is fodder for good fiction along the way.

I do wonder what characters from this book will recur. One strong candidate is Rae’s friend who failed a drug test and got booted from the FBI Academy. She had a strong presence early on in the book, but she just vanished later on. Which makes sense for reasons of this book’s plot, but not if you’re establishing a series character. Beyond her, I’m pretty curious.

So, what did I think about Mississippi Blue 42?

This was about the players and the game they’d been forced to play. The contest that took place on the field was nothing compared to the battle that went down in Waffle Houses, seedy motel rooms, used car lots, and a laundry list of other skeevy locales. That’s where boys like Moses McCloud had been fighting for so long nobody even saw them as boys anymore. These were young men whose talents had been exploited to pay their coaches’ multimillion-dollar contracts, secure billion-dollar TV deals, and provide highly visible recruiting for their respective universities. College football wasn’t a game at all; it was a business, a completely self-sufficient economy powered by young, mostly Black athletes.

There are more “bad guys” in this book than in most its size—and I’m really unable to come up with a drop of sympathy or empathy for any of them. I wasn’t prepared for that. I’m used to Cranor helping me see the humanity of his characters. Not that I don’t see humanity here—all I see is the worst of it. Yes, there are some who are less-worse than others, and there are a few that you can easily call The Worst. Right up to the last revelation (which Rae really should’ve seen coming), the worst of America is on display. If you pull up a classic D&D Alignment Chart, you have a couple of Lawful Evil characters, many Neutral Evil characters, and a couple on the extreme end of Chaotic Evil, too. Worse, you have a Lawful Evil who pretends to be Lawful Good—and someone who is convinced he’s Lawful Good, but is really a deluded and easily manipulated True Neutral.

Sorry, that’s not helpful at all, but once I started thinking along those lines, I couldn’t stop. Hopefully, someone out there appreciates it.

The hypocrite bothers me more than they should (because it’s so obvious). The easily manipulated head coach really makes me miss the misguided integrity of the coach from Cranor’s Don’t Know Tough.

And honestly, not much better can be said of most of Rae’s allies through this. But they’re trying. I’m pretty sure they are, anyway. I found them entertaining anyway, and didn’t spend a moment hoping they’d find their comeuppance.

This established a strong world and at least one character that we can follow—I’m very curious to see how this experience shapes Rae’s career (at least the early days of it, obviously) and how she sees herself. But more importantly, this was an entertaining, gripping, roller-coaster of a ride. The series stuff can work itself out—right now, all I want to focus on is Mississippi Blue 42, and it’s a great ride.

You gotta check it out if you’re a Cranor reader (and probably already have). If the Venn Diagram of your interests includes college sports and Crime Fiction, you’ll enjoy this item from the overlap set. Actually, you’ll probably enjoy it if you don’t care about college sports at all, just Crime Fiction. Personally, most of what I know about college sports comes from I Am Charlotte Simmons—and Cranor tells the same story (essentially) about the industry it does, but in a more concise and focused way.

Okay, I’m rambling. Go get this thing, you’ll be glad.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Grandpappy’s Corner: Tiny Hands Hymns, Vol. II; Tiny Hands Psalms; and Tiny Hands Apostle’s Creed edited by Hannah Duguid Estes, illustrated by Jessica Hiatt: A Great Set of Starter Devotional Reads

By HCNewton

On December 14, 2025

In Grandpappy's Corner, Theology/Christian Living, YA/MG/Children's Books

Tiny Hands Hymns, Volume II

Tiny Hands Psalms

and

Tiny Hands Apostle’s Creed

edited by Hannah Duguid Estes, illustrated by Jessica Hiatt

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: October 29, 2025
Format: Board Book
Length: 16 pg. (each)
Read Date: November 29, 2025

What are the Tiny Hands About?

This is going to be remarkably like the post I did about the first 3 Tiny Hands books, because these new three are remarkably like them–consistency is good. These are little board books that serve as beginning devotional materials—training wheels for young worshipers, if you will.

Tiny Hands Hymns, Volume II

These are the first stanzas/verses of some of the best hymns around: “Abide with Me,” “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “Fairest Lord Jesus,” “How Firm a Foundation,” “O Worship the King,” “Rock of Ages,” “Take My Life, and Let It Be,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

On the opposite pages are fitting illustrations, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

Tiny Hands Psalmss

These are a selection of psalms—translated by Iain Duguid (Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary)–either the complete psalm or a notable portion.

They include Psalms: 1, 18, 23,334, 51, 100, 121, and 139. The translations are clearly “kidified.” But I think they’re faithful.

Again, opposite each is an appropriate illustration, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

Tiny Hands Apostle’s Creed

This is a fairly standard translation of The Apostle’s Creed, split up segment by segment. Yet again, opposite each is an appropriate illustration, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

This is probably my favorite of the new bunch–if only because this’ll be one of the easiest for my grandcritters to put into use.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

Outside the previous Tiny Hands books, I’ve apparently appreciated Hiatt’s work as a cover designer on a few books (The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck, Things Unseen by J. Gresham Machen, and Struck Down but Not Destroyed by Pierce Taylor Hibbs), but illustrating board books calls for a slightly different skill set. Still, the illustrations remind me of those covers.

I think these are great. Bright and cheerful, without being cartoonish or silly (I have nothing against those kinds of illustrations, but they’re not fitting for the subjects).

How are they to Read Aloud?

They’re fine—although I can’t imagine that anyone, even those who can’t carry a tune, not singing the hymns instead of reading them. A lot of adults won’t need to actually read the Creed, we have it memorized (although, it’s good to pay attention so the pictures match up.

The translations (I’d be tempted to call them paraphrases, but the books say translations—and I don’t know enough to contradict that) are foreign-feeling for people who are familiar with/have memorized the relevant portions from the AV, ESV, NASB, etc. Once you get past that feeling, there’s nothing about the text that’s difficult or odd to read—and they seem easy enough for young children to comprehend (to some degree).

What did the Grandcritter think of Them?

I haven’t been able to read them to him–he sees this art/format and he assumes it’s the first volume of Hymns and demands to sing some of them–he won’t even give us a chance to go over the new ones, much less the other books. I’m sure I’ll get him to let us eventually. But for now, I can’t answer this.

So, what did I think about the Tiny Hands books?

I think they’re a great idea—and overall, I am pleased with the execution. I do recommend them without hesitation.

I have some questions about some of the technical bits of translation, verse choices, and whatnot—not so much that I have a problem with the books, I’d just like someone good with the original languages to sit down with me and walk through these.

But for a young child? I think they’re well done and would be great resources for regular use.

4 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman: Moving On

By HCNewton

On December 9, 2025

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, The Thursday Murder Club

The Impossible Fortune

by Richard Osman

DETAILS:
Series: The Thursday Murder Club, #5
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Length: 352 pg.
Read Date: November 24-26, 2025

Elizabeth is being mysterious.

It’s something of a relief, of course, because it has been some while since she’s been mysterious. She tells me we are taking the minibus to Fairhaven tomorrow morning, and it’s also been a while since we’ve done that. What are we to do there? Information has yet to be forthcoming. “A nice stroll along the front” is what Elizabeth said, and if you believe that you’ll believe anything.

What’s The Impossible Fortune About?

Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, is getting married. During the reception, Elizabeth is approached by someone wanting help. He’s heard about Elizabeth from Joanna and would rather go to her for help than anyone else.

Then he goes missing. The Club mobilizes to try to find him—with some help from Joyce’s daughter and new son-in-law, too.

Ron’s a little distracted by some family trouble (trouble he doesn’t realize the depth of, either), but that won’t be enough to derail the Thursday Murder Club, will it?

Elizabeth

“Screenshot the messages,” says Joanna. “We have to find Nick.”

“Screenshotting them,” says Paul. “I’ll send them straight to the police.”

Joanna puts her hand on his.

“Honestly? God bless the police, but it’ll be quicker all round if we just show them to Elizabeth.”

The core of this book is Elizabeth moving on from full-time grieving. She’ll be grieving for the rest of her (hopefully long and sequel-filled) life. But equipped with a puzzle—and potential danger to others—some of her old spark comes back.

Something noted by the rest of the Club—and Donna, too.

This doesn’t mean she’s as sharp as we’re used to—she notes that herself. By the end of the book, that’s done with. Still, even an out-of-practice Elizabeth is better than the police assigned to this case (sadly, not our friends—nor are they likely to be seen again).

We are treated to seeing her alone—or almost alone sometimes—and vulnerable. It’s Elizabeth at her most human, which is wonderful to see (even if we all probably prefer Elizabeth the super-hero).

Joyce and Joanna

The relationship between Joyce and her daughter has been a frequent topic to return to, and change has been slow—if not imperceptible. But we get some strong movement here—and some frustrating delays in it, too (designed to be frustrating, this isn’t Osman flubbing things).

Overall, we see the two of them working together here—on the wedding and on the case. It warms the heart to see. They both make some healthy compromises—and conspire together in way that’ll make you smile.

So, what did I think about The Impossible Fortune?

Danny Lloyd has had guns pointed at him before, but never by a woman. It makes, he notes to himself now, very little difference. The gun is the thing. Well, the bullets inside the gun are the actual thing, arent they?

Keep the bullets inside the gun, that’s the trick.

Frankly, it feels like Osman was a little off his game with this one. And it makes sense—after the big events of The Last Devil to Die, almost everything is going to feel like a letdown. He also needs to re-establish the feel for the books now.

We’ve added a new character or two, made some pretty big changes for some (at least one of which is going to stick with the books for a while). Just the sheer amount of time we spend with Johanna and Ron’s son, Ritchie, makes this feel different. I don’t want to get into the Ron-and-his-family storyline, but man, it’s good.

My biggest concern is Ibrahim’s depiction. He didn’t get that much space—which makes sense; there’s a lot of competition this time. But in most of the space he was given, he seemed…off. He felt sillier and dafter than usual, almost like the novel was gently mocking him. But that eventually went away, and he really came through for the team more than once in pivotal ways. Also—he’s great, as usual, with Ron’s grandson.

All the charm, all the wit, all the heart is there—so whatever I (or you) may think about the quality of the book as a whole, it doesn’t matter that much. Everything that makes a Thursday Murder Club book a Thursday Murder Club book is there. There’s just a little less luster than usual.

Now that Elizabeth has her groove back (mostly), I expect this to be a minor aberration and that we’ll get back to his usual level.

Still, this was about as entertaining as you can want in a mystery—if you haven’t gotten to it yet, fix that.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Second Lies the Son by Matt Phillips: You Are Your Family

By HCNewton

On December 1, 2025

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Second Lies the Son

by Matt Phillips

DETAILS:
Publisher: Runamok Books
Publication Date: November 8, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 196 pg.
Read Date: November 7-8, 2025

What’s Second Lies the Son About?

I’m not sure how to sum this book up. I really don’t. Honestly, all you need to know about this to decide to pick it up are the two words in yellow at the bottom of the cover: Matt Phillips.

But if you need more, here’s what Runamok provides:

Set in the high deserts of California, Second Lies the Son is a tale of small-town friendship, love, disloyalty, and violence. Sam and Hayes grow up together-brothers in spirit. But their lives take different turns. Sam fumbles his way to family and work. Hayes bloodies his hands in Afghanistan. Returned a reluctant war hero, Hayes is dead set on avenging his conversion into an instrument of war. Sam tries to head off his best friend’s brutal plans, but the haunting sins of his own past come calling. From one of America’s authentic noirists, Second Lies the Son depicts the irredeemable violence of American masculinity and tracks that violence to the darkest depths of cold-blooded murder.

Likeability

Obviously, in noir, the majority (if not all) of the characters are not going to be that likable. Boy howdy, is that true here. Your instinct is to like Sam, if only because he’s our central POV character. At least to feel a degree of sympathy for him. But there’s something about him…

Hayes, on the other hand…life has not been kind to him. And while I feel nothing but sympathy for him, the only reason I care about him is that Sam does.

Outside of Sam’s wife and infant son, those are the most likable characters. There’s a lot of broken humanity on display here—in all of its beauty and depravity.

So, what did I think about Second Lies the Son?

I avoided the second Matt Phillips novel that Fahrenheit put out because I loved Know Me From Smoke so much and I didn’t want anything to taint that experience (by falling short or exceeding it)*. I honestly only read A Good Rush of Blood because I didn’t pay attention to the author name, I just read whatever Runamok book shows up in my mailbox. I don’t remember how far along I was in the process before I realized he was the same writer. I’ve now seen the error of my ways and will just read whatever Matt Phillips book I come across.

There’s just something about his lean prose that grabs me in a way few do. Lean, but that’s not to say plain or worse. Phillips will regularly write one of those sentences/phrases/passages that you have to stop and re-read a few times to fully appreciate.

These characters—except for the infant—are so well-drawn and developed that I’d have no trouble believing Phillips had spent time interviewing them all before committing them to page. Or maybe living with them. I’d believe that, too.

At this point, I’m going to just give up on talking about Phillips’ writing. And move on to the bigger pictures.

It’s hard to really describe what this book is about, the blurb above is fine, but I’m not sure that’s what I’d have chosen (it’s a better sales pitch than my description would be)—and I honestly fumbled when talking to people while reading. Honestly, if you’re talking “plot” or “action”—you’re not going to get it for about 80% of the book, that’s all set-up time. But, of course, that’s not true—you just might have a hard time articulating what the plot is until then.

At the heart, this book is about friendship—what you’ll do because of a deep friendship, what will happen to you because of one, and how it’ll shape (possibly deform) your life. It’s also about the fight for the souls of these two men. Sam is fighting for his soul and the soul of Hayes. Meanwhile, Hayes is fighting for his and Sam’s. While they’re not really working against each other, they’re really working in different directions. They’re both doing it out of love. I think it’s pretty clear that one of them has a healthier end in mind. But it’s a comparative, not an absolute.

Also, the collateral damage from these struggles is pretty devastating. Obviously, I can’t talk about that—but it’s something I keep coming back to chew on. And it should be kept in mind when you try to decide if the fights for souls were worth it.

This is a fast, lean novel that will leave you moved (disturbed might be a better word) and chewing on it for days. Second Lies the Son is a great example of what Crime Fiction can do beyond the expectations of the genre (while remaining in the genre).

* Does this make sense to anyone else? Please say so.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this ARC by the author. But I jumped on the offer.

4 Stars

And to All a Good Bite by David Rosenfelt: Andy Carpenter’s Back Out of Retirement Again

By HCNewton

On November 20, 2025

In A-F, Andy Carpenter, David Rosenfelt, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U

And to All a Good Bite

by David Rosenfelt

DETAILS:
Series: Andy Carpenter, #31
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 14, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Length: 293 pg.
Read Date: November 13-14, 2025

“Will you help me?”

“I believe I will,” I say, proving once again that my mouth has a mouth of its own. It did not consult with my brain before saying it, which is a major breach of the decision-making chain of command.

What’s And to All a Good Bite About?

Two years ago, Jeff Wheeler watched the building his girlfriend was in explode while he engagement ring he got for her was in his pocket. In vain, he ran into the building to try to save her, but the fire was too intense. He was, however, able to save a dog.

He ends up—with Andy Carpenter’s help—adopting the dog, and the two of them are happy. Jeff has come to think that the building’s explosion wasn’t an accident, but was caused by the building’s owner. Jeff starts hounding the man, trying to get him to admit to it and trying to take him to court over it.

When that man is shot, Jeff’s an early suspect. When some evidence is uncovered conveniently close to Jeff’s home, he’s arrested.

Now it’s up to Andy to admit he’s not retired (again) and to do what he can to save Jeff’s life.

The Holiday-ness of it

This is about as far from a Christmas book that Rosenfelt could do—the holiday itself is dealt with in maybe 5 pages, and those are fairly early-on. It really could be a case of “which of these three novels I’m almost done with could I most easily insert the holiday?”

This next sentence is not really a spoiler, but it kind of is, so skip to the next heading if you want. Also, the body count in this book is high for this series (and potentially even higher), and the motive behind it seems to make it even worse. It’s hard to reconcile that with the Season of Cheer. (not that it needs to, I’m just thinking holiday stuff).

So, what did I think about And to All a Good Bite?

So my son eats vegetables….I find it hard to come to terms with that. I’ve been assuming for years that he will outgrow it, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. But it still pains me when the waiter comes over and Ricky asks how they prepare the brussels sprouts.

We back up a little on Marcus’ intelligibility here—which felt odd, maybe Rosenfelt realized he’d taken too much of the mystery away from him—maybe even the superhumanness of him. Or maybe it’s a case of perception—I thought that Andy was fully capable of understanding Marcus recently because relative to most of the series, he could. But compared to Willie or Corey (check spelling of Simon Garfunkel’s human), Marcus is unintelligible. It could just be some re-calibration in general. Marcus’ super-humanness is seriously reinforced on other fronts this time.

The client’s dog is far more important to the story than usual—something I appreciate, as much as I like a cute dog photo on the cover, or a canine-related pun in the title (which has nothing to do with the plot at all). When the dog actually plays a role in the story, I like it.

Andy seems to make a call on the whole retirement/semi-retirement thing, which is nice. Otherwise, this is your standard Andy Carpenter book—some solid wisecracks, a clever mystery, some nice reveals, some convenient breaks, some courtroom hijinks, Andy’s familiar (yet fresh and entertaining) thoughts on jury selection and jury deliberation. There’s just enough that’s not typical to keep long-time fans engaged. Up to, and including, more Vince-related action than we’ve seen in a bit—up to the part where I could throw in a click-baity “You won’t believe what Vince does” kind of headline. But I won’t stoop to that. Really.

Oh, wait—Ricky is 16 now? I’m sorry, when did his actual aging creep into these books? How is Rosenfelt not keeping him a cute kid/tween for forever, the way that Tara is not a senior dog yet? Has Rosenfelt been giving us higher numbers for a while now and I just haven’t noticed?

Anyway, back to the “standard Andy Carpenter book” remark. That’s really what this is—that’s good news. It’s not a let-down, it’s not a rare stumble for Rosenfelt, it’s not shaking up the entire series with a gritty turn—it’s a reliable author giving his fans just what they want, quality entertainment with old friends. And that’s just the kind of gift an author like Rosenfelt should give his readers for the holidays.*

* That’s one of the cheesiest things I’ve written on this site, but I kind of like it.

4 Stars

The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky: The Lost. The Broken. The Missing.

By HCNewton

On November 10, 2025

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Broken Detective

by Joel Nedecky

DETAILS:
Publisher: Runamok Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2025
Format: ARC
Length: 262 pg.
Read Date: October 29-30, 2025

What’s The Broken Detective About?

Our protagonist-narrator is a PI who just lost his license (a felony conviction will do that to a guy) and who is headed to prison in a couple of weeks (a felony conviction will do that to a guy). Jake’s major concern at this moment is his mother—she’s disabled and addicted, and cannot be trusted to pay her bills or feed herself anything but alcohol. Jake’s it—but Jake’s thrown all that away (also, related to his mom, but mostly because of dumb choices).

So Jake needs to make as much money as he possibly can over the next two weeks—he has a figure in mind, one he probably can’t meet. But he has a goal—bank robbery is probably the most likely way to meet it, but there are problems there (aside from the legality)—he’d probably get caught (I should mention that he’s a barely functional addict—which led to the dumb choices above) and then things would be worse for mom.

Thankfully, someone has a case for Jake, and she doesn’t care about the licensing. Her sister has been missing, she can’t go to the cops, but her sister needs to be found before it’s too late for her. This woman wasn’t even referred to Jake because of his skills (which is probably good). She’s sent to see Jake because Jake will go to the wretched hives of scum and villainy that this woman’s sister traveled in, because he belongs there, too. He won’t stick out like a sore thumb, and people will talk to him.

One broken detective looking for a missing and broken woman.

This will lead him into the paths of drug dealers, questionable authorities, a cult (or is it?) that the sisters once belonged to, other questionable associates of both sisters, and possibly a shot at hope for Jake and the missing woman.

The Title

I have several thoughts about the title—first, it’s incredibly fitting. On the other hand…

There’s part of me that wonders who the definite article is referring to—obviously, Jake’s the “The” in view, we know he’s broken from the get-go, and we never get anything but reinforcement of that fact. However, over the course of the novel, we meet more than one detective who fits that description. A Broken Detective or The Broken Detectives would work just as well as a title

But really, that just means the detectives we encounter are just like everyone else in the book. Everyone is broken (yes, like in reality, but it’s a bit easier to see here). From the witnesses, the bystanders, the victims, the complicit, and the guilty—from the first page to the last, this book could—and possibly should—simply be called The Broken. Don’t mistake broken for morally bent (or worse), but life and others have taken these people and have left them as other than they started, other than they could’ve been. Not whole, not intact, but broken.

But it’s not, it’s The Broken Detective, and it’s probably up to the reader to decide if it’s Jake or another candidate.

So, what did I think about The Broken Detective?

I hemmed and hawed about if I should say more about the plot and characters—but after a few tries, I opted not to. Everything I tried to say felt like a spoiler—it’s best if you learn about all involved the same way Jake does (or when he tells you about them, in the case of people he knows already). Because, sure, the book is about Jake looking for this woman. But really, it’s about Jake figuring out who he is, who he wants to be, and if he wants to do the required work to get from here to there. So it’s best for the reader to take the journey with Jake and come in with few preconceived notions.

Or so I think, anyway.

One critique I have is that I’m not sure that bringing in an church/cult from “the real world” as a comparison/parallel to the one in this book was necessary—or that the stone that Jake turned over as a result of his research was necessary. It turned a murky and questionable group (up to some horrible, repugnantly illegal stuff) into a creepy murky and questionable group (up to some horrible, repugnantly illegal stuff). Just a step too far. There was no ambiguity about the church already—I don’t see what he gained by making them worse.

Early on, I noticed something—and then backtracked to check to make sure I was right, and then watched for it going on. Nedecky cares about the last line/paragraph of a chapter. Obviously, he cares about every line and paragraph, but it feels like he puts extra care into those. Not in the way that some do to propel you into the next chapter (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but it’s like he knows that a chapter end is likely to be where someone puts the book down for one reason or another—and Nedecky wants to leave his reader with something to think about. It’ll either be an emotional punch or a line to chew on.

I had things I needed to accomplish the night I started this, so I forced myself to put it down—but this could’ve easily been a one-sitting book. This novel got its hooks in me and didn’t want to let go.

The ending—and the final revelations—will not make anyone happy. Well, it shouldn’t. But it will satisfy and gratify you—because of the storytelling involved, because it’s fitting, because it’s as noir as you can get. You won’t walk away with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, but you’ll walk away with that satisfaction that comes from a near-perfect execution.

I highly recommend this.

4 Stars

The Grimdwarf: Cursed by JCM Berne: An Angry Dwarf, A Water Witch, and a Remarkable Dog

By HCNewton

On November 6, 2025

In A-B, Authors, Fantasy, Fiction, JCM Berne

The Grimdwarf: Cursed

by JCM Berne

DETAILS:
Series: The Grimdwarf, #1
Publisher: The Gnost House
Publication Date: July 21, 2025
Format: eBook
Length: 311 pg.
Read Date: September 23-24, 2025

“He’ll be fine. See? He’s loving it.” Blink licked the top of the glass again, taking in a delicate sip of the amber liquid. “He’s savoring it. I think he’s a dwarf dog, not a human dog. We give whisky to everything. Kids, pets. Plants.”

“Maybe that’s part of the reason dwarven agriculture is pitied all over the world.”

What’s The Grimdwarf: Cursed About?

The book opens with a dwarf waking up and really freaking out the woman who had been locked up with him; she thought he was dead—actually, she was sure he was dead (and there was plenty of evidence to back her up). But before she really understands what’s going on, this dwarf is taking out their captors with great relish—and only his own two fists.

He remembers nothing from before he woke up—he doesn’t even remember his dog (and this is not a dog easy to forget). He pretty much remembers how to fight and that he enjoys whisky.

He, his dog, and the woman, Kayla—who turns out to be a water witch—end up traveling together, facing a series of foes, and ultimately taking on some pretty serious foes.

Cozy Grimdark?

The hard thing about fighting people with weapons is the instinct to retreat. After all, swords and daggers and axes are sharp and nasty and nobody enjoys getting cut. Almost nobody. But the safest place to be when a person is swinging a long piece of metal at you is not far away; that’s where they want you. You have to get in close, where the weapon’s reach is a hindrance. Where you can hit back.

An early reviewer called this collection Cozy Grimdark—and I love the idea, it’s a great juxtaposition of notions/genres. And somehow, it’s entirely appropriate. (Berne uses the phrase “Knuckles and Necromancy,” which is also apt, but it doesn’t fit what I want to talk about, so never mind.) Sturj is a violent, violent man—who’s pretty pleasant (under a gruff exterior) to those he wants to be, in his own special way. And the circumstances that he and Kayla find themselves in (yeah, sure, and place themselves in) are pretty violent, too.

However, the very bloody combat doesn’t feel all that violent as you read it. This isn’t Abercrombie or Michel. It’s not even the JCM Berne of The Hybrid Helix.

But oo-de-lally, the warm fuzzies this collection elicits! There’s a strong found family bond between Blink, Kayla, and Sturj. You do get a lot of the same warmth from these stories as you do from a Travis Baldree tale.

Her lips twitched at that, flashing into something not quite a smile, but maybe a smile’s younger cousin’s lonely friend from down the street, painfully shy but not really a bad sort once you got to know them.

So, what did I think about The Grimdwarf: Cursed?

All I wanted was to finish my drink, then maybe finish a few of its friends so it wasn’t lonely inside my belly, then choose between staring out the window and taking a nap. However, the captain had other ideas.

Oo-de-lally! This was just fun. I dug the various and sundry monsters—or monsterly creatures. Even the secondary or tertiary characters were fun. The bad guys were clearly in black hats—nothing like a little moral clarity to offset an inherently gray protagonist.

There’s nothing about Sturj that I didn’t like—from his fuzzy (at best) past to his “Hulk smash” present. I don’t know how he picked up the dog, but I love their bond. His determination to keep a certain other pet was a great touch. Kayla was a great balance to his character, and watching them become friends was what the stories needed to keep this from being about a grumpy dwarf version of Kwai Chang Caine wandering the countryside beating people into a pulp.*

You’ll smile, you’ll wince, you’ll feel a warm fuzzy or two. Check it out!

* Not that there’d be something wrong with that version of the stories, but this is better.

4 Stars

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Gnomes of Lychford by Paul Cornell: End Gnomesploitation Now!

By HCNewton

On October 27, 2025

In Fiction, Paul Cornell, Urban Fantasy

Gnomes of Lychford

by Paul Cornell

DETAILS:
Series: Witches of Lychford, #6
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Format: eBook
Length: 160 pg.
Read Date: September 19-20, 2025

Autumn quickly filled in some gaps in her knowledge of supernatural beings. “They’re usually incredibly laid-back. What do they want?”

Lizzie read from the leaflet. “They demand that ‘the old promise must be kept,’ whatever that means. That ‘crude depictions of their bodies and culture’ must cease—”

“Do they mean—?”

“Garden gnomes.”

“Around here, that’s a big ask.”

What’s Gnomes of Lychford About?

The people of Lychford have a new challenge facing them—podcasters.

Yes, that’s right—after the events of the last book, rumors have started spreading about Lychford. They’ve caught the attention of podcasters who love debunking supernatural urban legends and the like. So they’re wandering around, asking questions that no one wants to answer.

And they’re not the worst thing facing the citizenry. They’ve annoyed the Gnomes, too. And they have demands. Not only do they have demands, but these tiny aggressors have the ability to back up their threats. If only any of the humans in Lychford could understand the demands (other than the ones about the garden gnomes).

The Gnomes

The gnome king was about half a metre tall, and wore a golden, ceremonial version of the work apron and tool belt she’d seen on a lot of gnomes; plus, of course, more facial hair than seemed feasible. His little blue eyes peered from a mass of it like he was a particularly perplexed beagle. His name, oddly to Autumn’s ears, was Greg. That was bound to happen from time to time, though. The chosen names of other races would sometimes seem very like human ones.

These gnomes are ridiculous; their threats, however, aren’t. And they seem to be able to follow through with them. You can easily bounce between chuckling at them and then being glad they don’t really exist.

Cornell shows us this new race and new world in a very economical fashion—he spent book after book setting up everything else for us (that’s not a complaint), and he does almost as good a job in this book in just a few pages. Sure, a lot of that is building on the foundation from those other books—but not all of it.

So not only did I enjoy his gnomes and gnomish culture—I’m impressed by how he gave it to us.

So, what did I think about Gnomes of Lychford?

I’m worried about her. And I’m worried about her dropping the ball. When ‘the ball’ might be, I don’t know, the universe.”

One of the best parts of this series has been its awareness that this is a somewhat silly idea, but Cornell’s largely addressed it in a serious way. And that combination works well. It’s done particularly well in this volume—better than in some of the earlier works. There’s a strong stream of comedy throughout—but the dangers to the town are never a joke, and everyone treats them accordingly.

I do not like the way Lizzie was handled here—in almost any way. From the way she’s dealing with her romantic issues to the way she reacted during the crisis, it didn’t feel like her—she was the reader’s entry point to this world, and for her to be so off puts a dampener on a lot of the book. Her inner monologue about faith and comfort, I should add, was fantastic.

That said—just about every other thing made up for it. The town meetings—just great. The town’s involvement in everything else, too—and the way the events of the previous book clearly altered things (for many) are just cool to see. The discovery that there’s more supernatural activity (and connections with humans) in Lychford was a great bonus. The Gnomes and Gnomish culture—again—just fantastic. I worried about the podcaster idea at the beginning, but I really came around to it. The return of Zoya and her daughter was wonderful to see—I’d honestly (sadly) forgotten all about them, and getting the memory jogged was wonderful. The out-of-nowhere love story worked so well, too; it just charmed me no end.

Basically, aside from Lizzie, this was just great (and her stuff wasn’t bad, per se, just disappointing).

I always enjoy a quick visit to Lychford, and this is one of the better—you’d do yourself a favor if you picked up this series. I look forward to the new direction it seems to be taking.

4 Stars

Did Jesus Really Say He Was God? by Mikel Del Rosario: My Kind of Apologetics

By HCNewton

On October 26, 2025

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Did Jesus Really Say He Was God?:
Making Sense of His Historical Claims

by Mikel Del Rosario

DETAILS:
Publisher: IVP Academic
Publication Date: October 23, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 256
Read Date: September 14-October 5, 2025

What’s Did Jesus Really Say He Was God? About?

One of the most common things non-Christians will say about Jesus is something along the lines of, “He never claimed to be God, that’s something that Christians made up years/decades later.” As people probably no longer say, “big, if true.”

Del Rosario takes on this question (and variations of it) head-on—he takes just two passages of Scripture, examines what they say, looks at what critics say about it, and then argues that Jesus did claim divinity in the passages.

The Strengths

The strengths of this book come in the two parts (slightly more than 50% of the book) looking at Mark 2:1-12 (“The Healing of the Paralytic”) and Mark 14:53-65 (the examination before the Jewish leaders before going to Pilate). These passages are selected from Mark because it’s widely considered the earliest of the canonical gospels, and therefore less likely to have gone through any kind of mythologizing. Another reason they were selected is that the reaction of Jesus’ opponents highlights his claims of divinity.

For each passage, he begins by looking at the events depicted in the passage for a chapter or two. He then spends a chapter on the blasphemy accusation against Jesus. He concludes with a chapter on the claim of divinity made in the passage.

Seriously, I could’ve read more on each passage—not because he needed to say more, but because I enjoyed and benefited from the discussion. Or I could’ve read another passage or two for more examples of how his approach strengthens one’s confidence in Jesus’ claims.

The Weaknesses

Del Rosario employs a tool I’ve seen others use a couple of times—where they attempt to attach a numerical value on the probability of something happening the way a historical record says it does—and weighing that numerical value against a competing interpretation’s value.

Maybe this is just me, but it feels like trying to take history and making it a “real” science with numbers and whatnot. I just don’t understand the appeal of doing history this way.

I also tend to have a hard time following the discussion whenever it attempts to do that—maybe it’s a block on my part, maybe it’s because I already have little interest in it, or maybe it’s an inherent flaw in the idea. But I think the book would’ve been stronger without it.

So, what did I think about Did Jesus Really Say He Was God??

Del Rosario writes clearly and compellingly. The text—even when it gets technical—is straightforward and approachable by people who aren’t historical scholars (except for the numerical assignments).

Not only does reading this help buttress the confidence a reader has in the passage and Jesus’ claims in them, but Del Rosario gives his readers a model to follow when they come across similar passages. Whether that’s on your own or in reply to a challenge to Jesus’ claims of divinity.

Did he actually say x, y, or z? What do those sayings me? How did his listeners hear his claims? What is he really claiming in the passage—what does what he says mean? How does knowing that help make sense of his opponents’ reaction?

I really appreciated his focus on the text of Scripture in his apologetic here, not an appeal to reason or philosophical arguments, or a vague history—but to the revelation we’ve been given and then to see what that revelation said to the original readers/listeners.

I heartily encourage this book, and hope for a sequel or three, tackling similar passages.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from IVP Academic via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it’s up late, it’s been one of those months.