Through an Open Window (Ballantine 2025) by Pamela Terry is an engaging novel about family, love, and loss, centered on the secrets we keep to protect those closest to us. The story takes a whimsical turn from the very first page, when the ghost of Aunt Edith appears to recently widowed Margaret. Edith has been […]
“In the Fullness of Time” by Terry Roberts
September 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
More than just a compelling mystery or a well-executed police procedural—though it is both—In the Fullness of Time (Turner Publishing, 2025) offers profound reflections on the nature of time itself. Roberts masterfully weaves together past, present, and future in ways that feel almost magical. His lyrical descriptions of the mountains and valleys of North Carolina […]
Read of the Month: “The Wretched and Undone” by J. E. Weiner
September 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Author J. E. Weiner kicks off her debut novel, The Wretched and Undone (HTF Publishing 2025) with a rattlesnake falling from the rafters of a church onto the congregation below. That’s a tough scene to follow, but Weiner keeps ramping up tension and introducing unexpected events, each scene propelling the story forward as we follow […]
“That Which Binds Us” by Cathy Rigg
September 2, 2025 by Leave a Comment
In an exploration of the influences that bind us to people and place, to conviction and dream, Cathy Rigg’s That Which Binds Us makes a tumultuous journey from 1854 to 1866. Set in the mountains of southwestern Virginia and told from the perspective of five first-person characters, the novel rings with intimacy and authenticity, deftly […]
“Shattered Sanctuary” by Nancy Mehl
September 1, 2025 by 2 Comments
Nancy Mehl’s Shattered Sanctuary (Bethany House 2025) is a Christian mystery novel for anyone who enjoys suspense, crime dramas, psychology, or all the above. The story begins with ex-police officer turned novelist Erin Delaney going on vacation to a cabin in the small town of Sanctuary, Tennessee, at her friend’s request. Her friend, Kaely Quinn-Hunter, […]
“Peace Like A River” by Scott Gould
September 1, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Scott Gould can be forgiven for plot structures that are a little too on the nose and convenient. The events that unfold in his book, Peace Like A River (Regal 2025), are neatly stacked, making the story feel a bit contrived. He can also be forgiven for being a trifle too liberal with endowing […]