Ho, Hum - Another Excellent Dugoni!

You might think I would get tired of giving Robert Dugoni's books 5 stars. But, here's the thing...I'm not! His latest, Her Cold Justice, which just came out on January 27, 2026, is another top notch story. It's #3 in the Keera Duggan series, and it is another great legal murder mystery. And if you think I'm alone in appreciating this series, take a look at Goodreads. With over 3,500 ratings, the average is 4.53/5! In case you don't follow ratings, let me tell you that this is an insanely high number. Even Dugoni's most popular book of all time - The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell (and in my top-12 all-time!) - is a little bit lower. That one has a rating of 4.45/5 with over 226,000 ratings!!! And that number is exceptionally high. To give you an idea of how high these numbers are, look at the ratings for these well-known books:

To Kill A Mockingbird , Harper Lee- 4.26 with almost 7 million ratings

11/22/63, Stephen King (in my top-12 all-time) - 4.35 with over 600,000 ratings

Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett (in my top-3 all-time) - 4.35 with over 800,000 ratings

The Source, James Michener (also in my top-3 all-time) - 4.30 with over 45,000 ratings

Shogun, James Clavell (and the final one in my top-3 all-time) - 4.41 with over 213,000 ratings

Have I made my point? Dugoni can flat-out write! Are you waiting for me to tell you what Her Cold Justice is all about? Well, I already did that. I told you that it's a legal murder mystery. Keera Duggan takes on the defense of a young guy, Michael, who is accused of murdering a neighbor and his girlfriend. It turns out that the neighbor is a drug smuggler. And he gave Michael a package to hold because he said he wanted to surprise his girlfriend for her birthday. It turns out that the package contains illegal drugs and a very large amount of money. Michael says he never opened the package. It's up to Keera to figure out a way to exonerate Michael. 

Dugoni's Keera Duggan series has a lot of trial work and great explanations as to how Keera does her investigating and trial prep. It's a great combo of watching a trial in action and all that goes into preparing for it. Throw in a number of personal connections she makes, including one with a member of the other side, and you will be picking up "Her Cold Justice" every chance you get. And, by the way, even though this book is a standalone, it never hurts to read the books that came before it: #1 - Her Deadly Game; and #2 - Beyond Reasonable Doubt. You will NOT be sorry!

Top Books of 2025

Here are my top books of 2025:

4/4 - 

The Lies They Told - Ellen Marie Wiseman

In the Light of the Sun - Angela Shupe

Hacking the Holidays - Rich Amooi

3.75/4 -

The System - Barry Eisler

3.5/4 -

The Girls of Good Fortune - Kristina McMorris

Far and Away - Amy Poeppel

The Briar Club - Kate Quinn

Everything We Thought Was True - Lisa Montanaro

Broken Country - Clare Leslie Hall

The Botanist's Assistant - Peggy Townsend

Twice - Mitch Albom

The Hardness of Emeralds - Ron Ringsrud

Another Excellent Romantic Comedy from Rich Amooi

You all know how much I enjoy Rich Amooi's romantic comedies. Well, I think he's outdone himself this time. His latest, Hacking the Holidays, not only has its usual laugh-out-loud moments...it also has a storyline that kept me totally engrossed throughout the book. You expect a romance will end with the two protagonists getting together. But in this case, and even knowing what will ultimately happen, I still couldn't stop reading to see how it would happen. Great job, Rich!

The Botanist's Assistant - Peggy Townsend's Latest...Get Your Copy!

The Botanist's Assistant is Peggy Townsend's latest and my first one by this author. Let me assure you that it will NOT be my last! The story centers around Margaret Finch. Margaret is a 54-year old, 6' tall, and big-boned woman. She lives by herself in a cabin in the woods and, when she's not at work, focuses her attention on her numerous plants. When she is at work, she acts as the long-time assistant to a well-known botanist in his lab. That's pretty much her whole life. She doesn't really have any friends, and that is okay with her. So what is this story about, you ask?

Well, there is a death in the department that she works in, and Margaret is determined to find out what happened. The university that they all work for is calling it death by natural causes. Margaret is not buying that. Hence Margaret turns into an amateur detective.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's not only a mystery that I was not able to solve(!). But it's also very well-written. Let me give you just two examples of comparisons that grabbed me and made me smile:

A professor in the department thinks that he is an equal to her boss. Margaret thinks: "...that was like equating a rare Egyptian vase with kindergartner's Play-Doh bowl." And when Margaret is snooping around and suddenly has to hide, we read: "She drops to her knees and scuttles behind the sofa like a cockroach seeking shelter from a smacking broom." I think we can all visualize what the author is saying. And, believe me, there are many more descriptive clauses throughout the book.

Are you looking for a fun read that will captivate you and keep you guessing? And is Margaret Finch a character that we want to see again? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding YES!   

In the Light of the Sun, by Angela Shupe - Historical Fiction at Its Best!

Let me start off by saying that In the Light of the Sun is a terrific book. Not only is it an easy 5/5, but it’s also Shupe’s debut novel. It is quite an accomplishment!

 

This is historical fiction at its best. The book starts in 1941. Caramina Grassi is a young girl who lives in the Philippines with her father and all of her siblings, except for her older sister, Rosa, who is in Florence, studying to be an opera singer. Rosa lives with her grandmother, who was once a renowned opera singer herself. Caramina, too, hopes that one day she will also be in Italy, preparing to be an opera singer like her sister and grandmother…and then WWII hit!

 

The story delves into the hardships that Caramina, Rosa, and their family members face in their respective countries. As you would expect in a book based on a world war, the Grassis endure hardships in both countries. There is love and there are tragedies.

 

Will Rosa become an opera singer? Will Caramina get any closer to following in her sister’s footsteps? Will the family members survive? You will need to read In the Light of the Sun to get answers.  

The View from Lake Como, by Adriana Trigiani

The View from Lake Como is Adriana’s 22nd novel. And this will be my…1st read! It’s amazing that such a popular author, whose first novel came out in 2000, has escaped my reading clutches until now! Well, no more I say! I enjoyed TVfLC. It’s fiction with some romance thrown in. Here’s a brief description of the storyline:

 

Jess Capodimonte Baratta lives in Lake Como, New Jersey. She is in her early 30s and is recently divorced from the local heartthrob. She lives in the basement of her parents’ home and works for her uncle in his marble business. Despite being heavily involved in the business and with her large Italian family, she finds herself, due to unexpected circumstances, moving to the other Lake Como, this one in Italy. There she spends lots of time with more members of her family and discovers some secrets that will greatly impact her life. 

 

Will she ever go back to New Jersey? Will she find her first love interest since her divorce? Will she find herself? You will obviously learn about all of this when you read The View from Lake Como. 

The Grave Artist, by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

Last year I reviewed Fatal Intrusion, which is Book 1 in the Sanchez & Heron Series. And I told you how much I liked the book, and why. Well, now Deaver and Maldonado have written Book 2 in the series. And it’s called The Grave Artist. It is due to hit the bookshelves on September 9. Does it fall off, as book 2’s often do? Or does it continue what the authors accomplished with Fatal Intrusion? I am VERY happy to report that it’s the latter! This one grabs us from page 1 and captivates and engrosses us through its conclusion!

 

The storyline is also very unique. There is a serial killer who targets newlyweds. He kills one and then relishes the pain and suffering of the surviving member. And, once again, federal agent Carmen Sanchez and private security expert Jake Heron are taxed with finding the killer. But there’s another little twist this time. The “Honeymoon Killer,” as he is dubbed, is coming after Carmen and Jake! What the heck? Doesn’t he know they aren’t newlyweds (or even married)?

 

Much like Book 1, the writing is terrific, and the suspense is killer (sorry for the pun). When you finish The Grave Artist, I’m sure you will ask yourself the same thing I asked myself…When do we get Book 3?!