The Old Place by Bobby Finger

 The local(ish) setting was fun; the plot was interesting. I'm still not sure it all came together? But maybe? 

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

 

I thought this was amazing. It would be great for book groups.

The House in the Orchard by Elizabeth Brooks

 

This was a fantastic read -- the narrator was . . . well, I don't want to say too much, but . . . this one is worth reading.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman

 

Decent.

The Puzzler by A. J. Jacobs

 

I didn't love this as much as I did some of his previous books, but it was still fun.

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

 

This was super fun. (And no, it isn't about polygamy.)

Disappearance of Trudy Solomon by Marcy McCreary

I can't decide if I liked this or not. It fell victim to what a lot of mysteries do: way too weird situations. But at least it owned up to them?

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Sleepless by Victor Manibo

 

This was clever, and I enjoyed listening to it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander

 

I just thought this was so much fun -- I really liked the protagonist and the Agatha Christie vibe.

Review copy provided by publisher.

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

 

This was fun. I'll probably read the entire series.

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

 

This was fantastic.

Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson

 

I read this because I liked Stephenson's other book. (Turns out that was quite different.) This was still good, but the narrator was kind of annoying.

A Most Efficient Murder by Anthony Slayton

 

Without giving too many spoilers, I just want to say: I am so done with insipid plot points in mysteries. This was a fun read until that happened, and then I was just really annoyed.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra

 

Nearly every sentence of this book was gold.

Limelight by Amy Poeppel

 

This was funny.

Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson

 

Surprisingly good -- several plot twists that I didn't see coming, and more complexity than might have been expected.

Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

 

This was just delightful -- really funny.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

This was a lovely read, but then the ending was silly.

The Hostage by A. F. Carter

 

This was really well done. I liked that it was a departure from the usual tropes. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Suspect by Scott Turow

 

Decent story, with one of the best protagonists ever. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Gospel of Wellness by Rina Raphael

 

This was fantastic. It's a really important cultural critique and one of those books everyone should read. Also, it was just a lot of fun. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

 

This was lame. 

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 

This was amazing -- so, so funny. Definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

 

Very quirky, very funny.

Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke

This was fantastic -- a great combination of mystery, social commentary, and excellent writing. Recommended.

The Net Beneath Us by Carol Dunbar

 

I didn't like this -- it felt kind of emotionally manipulative as well as unresolved.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

 

meh

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Honestly, this was disappointing.

Pleasantville by Attica Locke

 

 Attica Locke is one of my favorites. As usual, an excellent combo of mystery and social commentary. Highly recommended.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

 

This worked on so many levels. Why have I never read Robinson before?

American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashtower

 

This was solid. Lots of interesting details.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

 

I honestly can't believe this was published. The writing is spectacularly cliched, and the story is bizarre.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

 

A really delightful book with a really lame ending.

Camino Island by John Grisham

 

This was a little different for him (i.e., not a legal thriller), but a fun read.

The Truth about Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

 

The basic conceit here was . . . implausible?

Science Fictions by Stuart Ritchie

 

Super-interesting.

A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

 

This was good. I really like this series.

The Puppeteer's Daughters by Heather Newton

 

This was very clever. Good characters, nice plot. Would be fun to discuss.

Review copy provided by publisher.

What She Knew by Miranda Rijks

 

This was a solid mystery (despite the somewhat cheesy cover). It had a good twist.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

 

This wasn't very good -- it's an interesting idea, but was too short to be developed well.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

 

This was so clever. 

Vox by Christina Dalcher

 

This was really amazing. It would be great to discuss.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

 

The book was a bit simplistic, but the concepts are solid.

Traitor King by Andrew Lownie

 

No doubt a fascinating story, but this book is written in a dull way and seems to uncritically use sources.

Review copy provided by publisher.

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

 

Fascinating story, excellent writing -- nonfiction just does not get much better than this. Highly recommended.

Overkill by Sandra Brown

 

Interesting plot, but a lot of painfully awkward writing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

All the Dirty Secrets by Aggie Blum Thompson

 

I would describe this as 'just ok' in terms of plot and characters. And the narrator for the teen girl was way too over the top -- it really distracted from the audio book.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

 

This was a mediocre thriller with an exceptionally poor narrator.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

 

This was decent.

All the Secrets of the World by Steve Almond

 

This was unusually good.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

 

Decent.

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

 

This was objectively silly, but I still kind of liked it.

Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor

 

This was really well done -- the solution may have been a little too pat, but the character development was excellent.

Review copy provided by publisher.