Tag: Christopher Farnsworth

Quick-Take Catchups: The Leftovers from February

By

On April 9, 2026

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

In an effort to keep my “To Write About” pile from getting out of control, I’ve set a requirement to myself to write a catch-up post at the end of the following month (e.g., At the end of February, write about January books; at the end of June, write about the May books I haven’t gotten to yet; etc.). As always, the point of these quick-takes is to emphasize pithiness, not thoroughness.

Cover of Big Shot by Christopher FarnsworthRobert B. Parker’s Big Shot

by Christopher Farnsworth

DETAILS:
Series: Jesse Stone, #23
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons 
Publication Date: February 10, 2026 
Format: Hardcover
Length: 320 pg. 
Read Date: February 19-20, 2026 
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

This was a perfectly decent Jesse Stone adventure. Jesse’s fate never felt like it was really in danger—but that’s okay, it’s about the struggle, the journey, right?

I’m a little disheartened by the way that Farnsworth is dealing with Lundquist. I know he’s not Healey—and I’m glad for it, I don’t want Farnsworth or anyone else turning him into a version of him. But the version of him being all by the book and cold here, really doesn’t match with the willing-to-be-maverick we met in Pale Kings and Princes, and I don’t think we’ve been given reason for that change (and I want to say this isn’t the first time I’ve been troubled by his characterization).

I really didn’t like Molly’s depiction for good chunks of the book—Farnsworth had a plan for her, and I liked most of what she did—I just think there was a better way to set up her investigative arc. (it’s hard to talk about vaguely). I think Farnsworth is really finding difficulty with her as she grows as a police officer—I think Lupica, did, too. Hopefully he figures it out soon (I should note, I like the way he’s dealing with Suit in the same situation).

Anyway, it’s not a stellar installment in the long-running series—but it did its job well.
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Cover of Fairest Hunter by M. K. FelixFairest Hunter

by M. K. Felix

DETAILS:
Series: The Favored's Curse, #1
Publication Date: January 9, 2026 
Format: e-Book 
Length: 351 pg. 
Read Date: February 25-26, 2026

A little heavy on the romance for my taste—but that’s what it’s marketed as, so I lived with it. I’ll note it’s pure and chaste romance, with no need for doors to be closed (well, at least the primary romance…the door might be firmly shut on another).

So it’s a gender-swapped Robin Hood—who also happens to be the King’s Huntsman. So, instead of taking the (male) Snow White figure and leaving him with some dwarves, he’s left with six merry men. These men rob from the rich, give to the poor, while looking for an opportunity to take out the Evil King (who turns out to be using a bespelled mirror to work his magic).

It’s a fun story, just deep enough to justify—fast acting enough that you don’t care. I quite enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading further in the series.
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Cover of Separation of Church and Hate by John FugelsangSeparation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds

by John Fugelsang

DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio  
Publication Date: September 09, 2025  
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 24 min. 
Read Date: January 30-February 2, 2026
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

Okay, I’d played with doing a full post on this one, interacting with all the issues I had—but I didn’t take notes or anything as I was listening. So, I’ll try this.

First—I have a lot of sympathy toward the Fugelsang’s goals and aims. Not to the same extent as he does—but still, I lean in very similar directions and/or share concerns.

Second—this book is a mess. There’s a good deal of re-hashing of Liberal* Theology that has been answered no later than the 1920s and 30s. There’s as much special pleading and Scripture twisting in these pages as he accuses those he takes issue with of doing. His notion of the purpose of Christianity, its content, and its focus—are completely wrong and foreign to the Bible itself. (as is the case for many of his targets).

I’m glad I read it because it scratched an itch in curiosity, but…that’s the only good thing I can say about the experience.

* There’s a distinction between Liberal Theology and Liberal Politics. While the Venn diagram has some overlap (a lot of overlap for Fugelsang), they shouldn’t be confused.
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Cover of All Accounts Settled by Drew HayesAll Accounts Settled

by Drew Hayes, read by Kirby Heyborne

DETAILS:
Series: Fred, The Vampire Accountant, $9
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc 
Publication Date: January 13, 2026 
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 11 hrs., 44 min. 
Read Date: February 25-27, 2026  
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

Fred’s adventures bow out the same way they entered the scene—mildly amusing, full of kindness and hope, generosity of spirit, and community. There’s almost no suspense—which is fine, this series didn’t depend on that.

It’s just Fred facing overwhelming odds, coming up with a clever solution or two, relying on his friends (and them relying on him, too). He found a new level to his magic—which was pretty cool, I’ve gotta say. And scored some major victories. The last chapter (or was it an epilogue?) ties up a lot of loose ends and provides a glimpse into Fred’s future.

Heyborne’s narration was as good as ever.

This was a fitting and entertaining ending to this series. Glad I was along for the ride.

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Cover of Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reumEvery Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books

by Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan, read by Rosa Escoda

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 
Publication Date: December 2, 2025  
Format: Unabridged Audiobook 
Length: 3 hrs., 49 min.
Read Date: February 23-24, 2026
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

This was a perfectly pleasant book. And that’s about all I have to say—there was nothing that made me think—wow! She gets it. Nothing where I thought—I’ve been trying to find the words to express that as a reader. Just a vague pleasantness—that maybe went on too long. Maybe 25-40 ways, max, would’ve worked better.

There seemed to be an expectation that the reader would be familiar with her other work(s) anytime she referenced them—and if you weren’t (or even aware of their existence), it was hard to connect with what she was saying. I can both understand that given the nature of this book she didn’t have time (or possibly the need) to add context, explain the gist of whatever she was referencing. But…it left me cold.

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Cover of Hidden in Smoke by Lee GoldbergHidden in Smoke

by Lee Goldberg

DETAILS:
Series: Sharpe & Walker, 3
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: April 22, 2025 
Format: e-Book 
Length: 300 pg. 
Read Date: February 5-6, 2026 
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

I feel like I should have a lot to say about this book—but I don’t. Goldberg delivers what we expect from him—a fast and fun story, some good twists, some great lines—and the return of a few characters I didn’t expect to see again.

There’s part of me that wonders about the scope of all the fires in this series—but, we’ve all seen what happens to California all too often lately. It’s sadly realistic.

I really enjoy these characters, and can’t imagine that ending. I just hope that I can find something to say about the next book (which I can’t wait for).

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Cover of A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam KayA Particularly Nasty Case

by Adam Kay, read by Andrew Serkis

DETAILS:
Publisher: Hachette Audio 
Publication Date: September 16, 2025 
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs., 9 min.   
Read Date: February 2-5, 2026 
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

This was…a mess. There’s just no character that I could enjoy spending much time with. The characters’ motivations seem inconsistent and capricious. The comedy (or what I think was comedy) didn’t work, the mystery was pretty weak, and the book seemed more interested in the chaos surrounding the murder than anything else.

Take the murder out, tell some other kind of story, and it probably would’ve worked better. And still wouldn’t have been for me—but I wouldn’t have complained about it.

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Cover of The Fact Checker by Austin KelleyThe Fact Checker

by Austin Kelley, Jacques Roy

DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio 
Publication Date: April 15, 2025 
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 1 min.   
Read Date:  
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

If the destination was satisfying, I think I could’ve put up with the journey. If the journey was a bit more interesting/engaging, I could’ve put up with the destination.

But a miss on both, just made this a waste of potential. I liked the premise, there were some good moments, I liked the writing—it just seemed wasted.

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Cover of City of Others by Jared PoonCity of Others

by Jared Poon, read by David Lee Huynh

DETAILS:
Series:  The DEUS Files, #1
Publisher: Hachette Audio 
Publication Date: January 13, 2026 
Format: Unabridged Audiobook 
Length: 9 hrs., 16 min.  
Read Date:  
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

This is the first installment in what could become a favorite UF series. Think about the Folly (from The Rivers of London)* filled with humanoid characters from McGuire’s InCryptid series. But set in Singapore. our under-funded and overworked team deal with the supernatural side of Singapore—without letting the non-supernatural set know what they’re up to.

As things are wont to do—something goes wrong, in a very significant way—and the entire city (at least) is soon at risk.

Poon writes with a lighter touch, but he’s not afraid to let things get serious. There are some great emotional moments, and some great mystical/magical scene, too.

* It might be more accurate to describe it as Strout’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs than the Folly—but the Folly is better known.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

PUB DAY REPOST: I Have Too Many Things to Say About Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth

By

On February 4, 2025

In Fiction, Jesse Stone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert B. Parker

Cover of Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher FarnsworthRobert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets

by Christopher Farnsworth

DETAILS:
Series: Series: Jesse Stone, #22
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 352 pg.
Read Date: January 4-6, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Buried Secrets About?

Jesse is called to make a welfare check on an elderly Paradise resident (no one he knows) and finds the worst outcome—they are weeks too late for this check. Also, the man was a hoarder, and it’s near impossible to navigate through his home to his body without disturbing some of his stacks of…whatever it was that he’d accumulated.

When one box of photos is dislodged, Jesse finds several photos of murder victims. Crime Scene techs soon find $2 million in cash stashed in the house. Either one of these finds would send Jesse’s “coply intuition” to sound alarm bills—the two together? He knows that they stumbled onto something bad—and worse is on the way to Paradise if they can’t wrap up this case soon.

The A Story and Jesse

(not that most of the cast of characters aren’t involved in this storyline)
Something about this case sets Jesse off. Something is eating him in ways that he’s unprepared for, and he gets a little on edge and grumpy (at least to those on the outside). The bottle is calling to him in a way it hasn’t for a while. The voice is loud and tempting. There’s at least once that he goes looking for a bottle that thankfully isn’t there anymore.

The way this—and the related issues it brings up—work themselves out through this novel shows just how far Jesse has come since he first came to Paradise—or even since he stopped drinking in earnest. But that battle isn’t over.

The rest of the PPD is involved in this storyline, but this is Jesse’s focus throughout the novel—it’s also where everything that Jesse goes through emotionally/psychologically is rooted. As such, I’ve found that I can’t keep talking about this without telling you too much. So let’s move on to:

The B Story and Everyone Else

The day that this body is found is also the first day for a new officer for the PPD. He’d spent some time on patrol in a major city, and then a smaller city before this relocating. He tells Jesse that he wanted to be in a town like Paradise, where he could do some good.

There’s an incident or two—you could see them as first-day on-the-job eagerness, a training issue, or something worse. Before you know it, people in Paradise (and in the PPD) are divided over this one officer. Jesse is too caught up in this case, the city politics, and other things to really dig into things. Some others in the department aren’t so sure about him. Others are willing to give him a chance or three. Essentially, Jesse is willing to let things shake out on their own—at least until he’s able to close the murder.

He might not get that chance. Making this call is arguably Jesse’s biggest mistake in the novel.

In addition to the story of this officer, Farnsworth is able to bring in some discussion of what it means to be a police officer in the 21st Century USA. What does it look like, what kind of people should wear the badge? What kind of equipment should police departments have? How can people who have a problem with the police in their area safely do? There’s a related scene that touches on public protest and social media/legacy media fanning the flames.

In many—most—ways, this story is not the main focus of the book—but it’s so close that it might as well be. And as much as I enjoyed The A Story, this is the one that hooked me the deepest. Farnsworth did the franchise proud with it, too.

Farnsworth at the Helm

Poor Jesse Stone, this is his fourth author since Parker’s death. Just for that reason alone, I hope Farnsworth sticks around for a while. He and his readers need some continuity. Once you figure in what a bang-up job that Farnsworth did, I can underscore that hope a couple of times.

Unlike just about every other (I think every other, but let’s throw some wiggle room into this), Farnsworth didn’t give us a lot of trivia from Parker’s books to establish his bona fides. There were some references, but they were the same kind that Parker himself made. Farnsworth showed us his credentials in the way he wrote these characters, this community, and the story.

I was a little apprehensive about him—I read at least the first two of his Nathaniel Cade books—maybe all three, but nothing since. There was something about whichever Cade book was my last that didn’t leave me eager to try him again. Don’t ask me what it was—it’s been over a decade. I’m glad my loyalty to the series won out over my vague sense of apprehension (it wasn’t a close competition). He nailed it.

The one item that I’m most happy about is that with one line of dialogue, Farnsworth expanded on—added depth to—Dix. Did we need this for Dix? But I love that we got it. Also…it was a great way to give that gift to us.

BTS Question

I know there have been conversations between some of the Parker-verse authors about moves they were going to make with certain characters and whatnot—I can’t remember the details, but I heard in one or two interviews that  Atkins or Coleman had to make an adjustment to one book because of something the other did (I’m being very vague because I don’t remember too much and I’m too lazy to do the homework). So I’m sure that Farnsworth and Lupica had a conversation about this book and the events of Hot Property.

What I want to know is how did Hot Property impact this novel? Did Farnsworth have Rita’s scenes in this book completed and added a couple of lines to reflect it? Did he have something else in mind for those scenes and revised them to take advantage of Lupica’s latest? Just what kind of collaboration happened?

Does this impact my appreciation for either book? Nah. But I’m certainly curious.

So, what did I think about Buried Secrets?

At each step along the way, I kept thinking of other things I wanted to say about this one—and at book 22 of a series (no matter how many authors have contributed), that’s saying something. I’ve done my best to limit myself to the bigger matters, but I think I could add at least another 5 paragraphs without breaking a sweat (and they’d likely lead to others).

When Coleman got Jesse into AA, I saw one fan complain about him turning Jesse into “another whining Twelve Step wuss” (that’s very close to it). This seemed like an odd take, as most of Parker’s work (since 1974’s God Save the Child) has celebrated people getting help via therapy or some other means to improve—even save—their lives. I’m afraid that some of what this book does is going to elicit similar reactions from that fan and many others. I hope that the publisher, the Parker Estate, and Farnsworth ignore all that. I don’t see anything here that doesn’t fit in Parker’s worldview (or at least the worldview of all of his fiction).

The Paradise Police Department—particularly the officers we’ve spent time with since Night Passage—got to shine as they ought to. Sure, it’s Jesse’s series, but Molly, Suit, Peter, Gabe, and the others are more than just cardboard cutouts in the background (obviously we don’t know as much about Peter and Gabe as we do some others). The more the various personnel get to contribute, the more the books feel like it’s about a Police Chief—not some rogue lawman. I’m glad Farnsworth did that.

Buried Secrets was satisfying on every level that I can think of. It’s the best Jesse Stone novel in years (with all due respect to Mr. Lupica), specifically since The Hangman’s Sonnet or Colorblind (now that I’ve mentioned those two books in particular, I could probably have written a post just about the ways that Buried Secrets parallels major elements of those, something I hadn’t thought of until now). It contains a good mystery, some strong social commentary, some great character moments, a bunch of characters on the other side of the law that you just have to meet, some solid action, and most of all, time with characters that fans have been spending time with for decades.

I strongly recommend this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 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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I Have Too Many Things to Say About Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth

By

On February 3, 2025

In Fiction, Jesse Stone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert B. Parker

Cover of Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher FarnsworthRobert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets

by Christopher Farnsworth

DETAILS:
Series: Series: Jesse Stone, #22
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 352 pg.
Read Date: January 4-6, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Buried Secrets About?

Jesse is called to make a welfare check on an elderly Paradise resident (no one he knows) and finds the worst outcome—they are weeks too late for this check. Also, the man was a hoarder, and it’s near impossible to navigate through his home to his body without disturbing some of his stacks of…whatever it was that he’d accumulated.

When one box of photos is dislodged, Jesse finds several photos of murder victims. Crime Scene techs soon find $2 million in cash stashed in the house. Either one of these finds would send Jesse’s “coply intuition” to sound alarm bills—the two together? He knows that they stumbled onto something bad—and worse is on the way to Paradise if they can’t wrap up this case soon.

The A Story and Jesse

(not that most of the cast of characters aren’t involved in this storyline)
Something about this case sets Jesse off. Something is eating him in ways that he’s unprepared for, and he gets a little on edge and grumpy (at least to those on the outside). The bottle is calling to him in a way it hasn’t for a while. The voice is loud and tempting. There’s at least once that he goes looking for a bottle that thankfully isn’t there anymore.

The way this—and the related issues it brings up—work themselves out through this novel shows just how far Jesse has come since he first came to Paradise—or even since he stopped drinking in earnest. But that battle isn’t over.

The rest of the PPD is involved in this storyline, but this is Jesse’s focus throughout the novel—it’s also where everything that Jesse goes through emotionally/psychologically is rooted. As such, I’ve found that I can’t keep talking about this without telling you too much. So let’s move on to:

The B Story and Everyone Else

The day that this body is found is also the first day for a new officer for the PPD. He’d spent some time on patrol in a major city, and then a smaller city before this relocating. He tells Jesse that he wanted to be in a town like Paradise, where he could do some good.

There’s an incident or two—you could see them as first-day on-the-job eagerness, a training issue, or something worse. Before you know it, people in Paradise (and in the PPD) are divided over this one officer. Jesse is too caught up in this case, the city politics, and other things to really dig into things. Some others in the department aren’t so sure about him. Others are willing to give him a chance or three. Essentially, Jesse is willing to let things shake out on their own—at least until he’s able to close the murder.

He might not get that chance. Making this call is arguably Jesse’s biggest mistake in the novel.

In addition to the story of this officer, Farnsworth is able to bring in some discussion of what it means to be a police officer in the 21st Century USA. What does it look like, what kind of people should wear the badge? What kind of equipment should police departments have? How can people who have a problem with the police in their area safely do? There’s a related scene that touches on public protest and social media/legacy media fanning the flames.

In many—most—ways, this story is not the main focus of the book—but it’s so close that it might as well be. And as much as I enjoyed The A Story, this is the one that hooked me the deepest. Farnsworth did the franchise proud with it, too.

Farnsworth at the Helm

Poor Jesse Stone, this is his fourth author since Parker’s death. Just for that reason alone, I hope Farnsworth sticks around for a while. He and his readers need some continuity. Once you figure in what a bang-up job that Farnsworth did, I can underscore that hope a couple of times.

Unlike just about every other (I think every other, but let’s throw some wiggle room into this), Farnsworth didn’t give us a lot of trivia from Parker’s books to establish his bona fides. There were some references, but they were the same kind that Parker himself made. Farnsworth showed us his credentials in the way he wrote these characters, this community, and the story.

I was a little apprehensive about him—I read at least the first two of his Nathaniel Cade books—maybe all three, but nothing since. There was something about whichever Cade book was my last that didn’t leave me eager to try him again. Don’t ask me what it was—it’s been over a decade. I’m glad my loyalty to the series won out over my vague sense of apprehension (it wasn’t a close competition). He nailed it.

The one item that I’m most happy about is that with one line of dialogue, Farnsworth expanded on—added depth to—Dix. Did we need this for Dix? But I love that we got it. Also…it was a great way to give that gift to us.

BTS Question

I know there have been conversations between some of the Parker-verse authors about moves they were going to make with certain characters and whatnot—I can’t remember the details, but I heard in one or two interviews that  Atkins or Coleman had to make an adjustment to one book because of something the other did (I’m being very vague because I don’t remember too much and I’m too lazy to do the homework). So I’m sure that Farnsworth and Lupica had a conversation about this book and the events of Hot Property.

What I want to know is how did Hot Property impact this novel? Did Farnsworth have Rita’s scenes in this book completed and added a couple of lines to reflect it? Did he have something else in mind for those scenes and revised them to take advantage of Lupica’s latest? Just what kind of collaboration happened?

Does this impact my appreciation for either book? Nah. But I’m certainly curious.

So, what did I think about Buried Secrets?

At each step along the way, I kept thinking of other things I wanted to say about this one—and at book 22 of a series (no matter how many authors have contributed), that’s saying something. I’ve done my best to limit myself to the bigger matters, but I think I could add at least another 5 paragraphs without breaking a sweat (and they’d likely lead to others).

When Coleman got Jesse into AA, I saw one fan complain about him turning Jesse into “another whining Twelve Step wuss” (that’s very close to it). This seemed like an odd take, as most of Parker’s work (since 1974’s God Save the Child) has celebrated people getting help via therapy or some other means to improve—even save—their lives. I’m afraid that some of what this book does is going to elicit similar reactions from that fan and many others. I hope that the publisher, the Parker Estate, and Farnsworth ignore all that. I don’t see anything here that doesn’t fit in Parker’s worldview (or at least the worldview of all of his fiction).

The Paradise Police Department—particularly the officers we’ve spent time with since Night Passage—got to shine as they ought to. Sure, it’s Jesse’s series, but Molly, Suit, Peter, Gabe, and the others are more than just cardboard cutouts in the background (obviously we don’t know as much about Peter and Gabe as we do some others). The more the various personnel get to contribute, the more the books feel like it’s about a Police Chief—not some rogue lawman. I’m glad Farnsworth did that.

Buried Secrets was satisfying on every level that I can think of. It’s the best Jesse Stone novel in years (with all due respect to Mr. Lupica), specifically since The Hangman’s Sonnet or Colorblind (now that I’ve mentioned those two books in particular, I could probably have written a post just about the ways that Buried Secrets parallels major elements of those, something I hadn’t thought of until now). It contains a good mystery, some strong social commentary, some great character moments, a bunch of characters on the other side of the law that you just have to meet, some solid action, and most of all, time with characters that fans have been spending time with for decades.

I strongly recommend this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 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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