All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

November 06, 2021

Full disclosure. I read Wanda M. Morris’ debut novel, All Her Little Secrets, way back in April. Morris was on a panel I moderated for Library Journal Day of Dialog in May. I also interviewed her for a profile in Library Journal. Her book was the Lead Read for...

Graveyard Fields by Steven Tingle

August 18, 2021

In Steven Tingle’s debut, Graveyard Fields, he takes an inept cop turned equally incompetent private investigator, stomps him into the ground, and turns all of his actions into a tragic comedy. I don’t know when I felt so frustrated with a character, and...

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler

May 03, 2020

Sarah Morgenthaler’s debut romantic comedy, The Tourist Attraction, was just perfect for right now. It’s funny and charming, with a sexy man who hates tourists, a tourist on her dream trip of a lifetime, and a moose named Ulysses. Did I mention that...

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale

March 19, 2016

I’ll admit for a while I wasn’t fond of the narrator in Celeste Fletcher McHale’s debut novel, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake. But, stick with it. This is not your typical chick lit book, and Carrigan Whitfield learns a few hard lessons in the course...

Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton

January 31, 2016

I haven’t read the other novels nominated for the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, but I can see why Glen Erik Hamilton’s Past Crimes was nominated. It’s a strong, fast-paced story with an intriguing hero, and a victim who is just as...