Sequel's Book Nook

  Empty Boxes by Robin Acton delivers a tightly paced mystery rooted in the grit and shadows of Pittsburgh’s underbelly. When crime reporter Rita Locke begins investigating the murder of a funeral director, she doesn’t expect to find empty coffins—or uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that stretches far beyond western Pennsylvania. What starts as a local crime quickly expands into an international web of danger, deception, and medical intrigue that leads her all the way to a Caribbean offshore school…and eventually into a box of her own, fighting for breath and answers. This was my first Robin Acton novel, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The mystery is easy to follow without ever feeling simplistic, and the plot moves at a satisfying pace that keeps you turning pages. Rita Locke is a grounded, engaging protagonist—persistent enough to keep digging, flawed enough to feel real, and interesting enough to carry the story from Pittsburgh to the Caribbean and back again. The supporting cha...

 Kathy Reichs returns with another sharp, unsettling thriller in Evil Bones , bringing forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan into one of her darkest investigations yet. What begins with a series of bizarrely mutilated small animals around Charlotte quickly spirals into something far more sinister. When the cruelty escalates to a family pet—and then to a human victim—Tempe realizes she’s dealing with a perpetrator whose fascination with violence is evolving in deeply disturbing ways. Alongside the ever-grizzled and reliably entertaining Skinny Slidell, Tempe dives into a case marked by carefully staged scenes, psychological manipulation, and a chilling escalation that hits closer to home than she ever expected. The tension ramps up steadily as people she cares about disappear, forcing Tempe into a terrifying game with a killer obsessed with the nature of “pure evil.” It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a Kathy Reichs novel, but Evil Bones reminded me exactly why her books...

  Nash Falls introduces readers to Nash — a man who seemingly has it all. Intelligent, disciplined, and successful, he’s climbed to the top of Sybaritic Investments through sheer determination. With a wife, daughter, and a stable, comfortable life, Nash appears to be living the dream. But that illusion shatters after his estranged father’s funeral, when the FBI shows up in the middle of the night with an impossible request: infiltrate his own company to expose a massive money-laundering scheme tied to Victoria Steers, a ruthless criminal mastermind the Bureau has been chasing for years. Reluctantly pulled into a web of deceit, Nash is forced to risk everything — his career, his family, and even his moral compass — to bring Steers down. But when she uncovers his secret, the hunter becomes the hunted, and Nash must transform into someone he never imagined himself capable of being just to survive. This was my first David Baldacci book, even though he’s been on my “recommended by ...

  The Haunting of Emily Grace marks Elena Taylor’s foray into eerie suspense with a story that blends grief, isolation, and a touch of the supernatural. Emily Grace, the protagonist, is grappling with immense loss—her home, career, and social connections gone—when she takes a job at a remote mansion on a secluded island. The mansion’s owner is eccentric, the locals whisper about a curse, and the environment is as unforgiving as it is mysterious. Taylor crafts a story with a solid premise: a grieving woman attempting to rebuild her life in a setting that is as haunting emotionally as it is physically. The mansion itself becomes a character, its secrets and spectral hints weaving a palpable tension throughout the narrative. Accidents, whispers, and unexplained footsteps keep both Emily and the reader on edge, and the subplot involving a potential romance adds a subtle human element to the suspense. While the story delivers a satisfying mystery, some elements lean toward predictabi...