Noooooo!
Sorry if I skeered ya…the last novel hasn’t actually been written yet. (I think…)
Whew!
Here’s what today is about.
Please share with us the last novel (or novella) you read. Include the title, author, and publish date, and maybe your critique. Would you recommend it to readers?
Here’s mine: Finished “Out of the Far North” by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn—the 3rd of 4 in a series, published in 2023. Just started the 4th, “The Sick Man’s Rage”, and I’m hoping there’s going to be a 5th! Middle East, spies, heroes, cool weapons, and a teensy bit of romance. Right up my reader’s alley.
Okay, your turn!
Good reminder for me, Deb. Those books have been on my list for a while now but haven’t had a chance to read them yet!
They’re good, Kay!
Some readers don’t like the use of words in another language, but Tsarfati includes a glossary of Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, etc. translations. Works for me. And detailed descriptions of weapons used in covert ops tickles my fancy also.
Happy reading!
The last published novel I read was Elaine Viets’ new Florida cozy Sex and Death on the Beach that’s in the humorous vein of Carl Hiaasen—Tim Dorsey.
Also gotta mention a book I just beta-read by Keenan Powell called The Reunion.. It’s not published yet but should be out soon. I really enjoy Keenan’s legal thriller series and this is the latest. It’s about a reunion concert by a rock group that brings back memories of Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Airplane, etc. A Boomer’s delight.
Good morning, Debbie.
It’s fun to hear that we’re reading each other’s books, right?
And The Reunion sounds like a Boomer’s paradise for sure, especially if there’s a little CCR in there. 🙂
I looked at her legal thriller series also–added her to my “expand your reading horizons, Deb” pile.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the shout-out, Debbie.
My last read was Romeo’s Truth…finished it just before coming to the writing conference here in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Mike was in fine fettle as my dad used to say, although Sophie seems to be mellowing him a tad. Great book and I hope JSB is hard at work on another one!
OOOO I love Romeo. I’m reading JSB’s latest – Number 10
I’ve read ’em all, too, Jane. I think I have the most recent on my Kindle and will dive into it when I’m finished with Tsarfati’s series.
You are both very kind. Thank you.
🙂
🙂
Good Friday morning, Patricia!
Yes, I hope there’s another Romeo adventure simmering in JSB’s files.
Have a great day!
The book I just finished was “Out of Sight” by Elmore Leonard.
Hi Terry,
I looked this book up on Amazon, too. Read the blurb–sounds good! (I’m having a blast this morning!)
I also saw this statement by the NYT: “Elmore Leonard is an awfully good writer of the sneaky sort; he is so good you don’t even notice what he’s up to.” —New York Times Book Review
Never thought a book review would call the author “sneaky”, but it sure works here. I’ve never read Elmore Leonard–I’m sure that’s a major fail on my part. 2026 might just be the year I dip into his writing.
Thanks for dropping in this morning and adding to my TBR pile! 🙂
Bride by Ali Hazelwood. Once it got going an interesting gothic horror/erotica. It is set in a world of werewolves, vampires, and humans. There is its downfall. half of the book is setting up the societal dynamics and not on romance/sex. Was worth $1.99 on Kindle, but I will be passing on rest of the series.
Hi Alan,
The telling phrase in your analysis: Once it got going… sounds like a death knell.
Thanks for “knelling” in this morning, my friend!
Read it on Kindle. I could have skipped the first 45%.
I’m about to finish Slough House by Mick Herron, number 7 in the Slow Horses series. I started reading these after watching the TV series and I’m loving them. The series did a great job of casting and keeping the characters true to the books. I’ve never been a fan of spy stories, but this series is more about the characters than the spying.
Hi Kelly!
I might have to add this author to my pile. I read the synopsis on Amazon of the 1st book in the series–all MI5ish stuff–and it sounds like a winner for me. Now y’all know why I asked you this question! Looking for new authors to read… 🙂
Thanks for stopping this morning!
My last read was Carol Berg’s The Daemon Prism, the final book in the Novels of the Collegia Magica trilogy, published in 2012. It’s the first time I’ve read a book where the author killed off an important main character at the end and I didn’t feel angry, disappointed, and somehow cheated. The characters are deep, the plot is a twisty mystery, and the fantasy world and magic system are well constructed. There’s a bit of a false ending. The final ending was incredibly uplifting.
Early in my writing education, I struggled with how to make character change happen in a series character. I had no issue with a stand-alone character, but a series had me flummoxed. Then I read Berg’s Books of the Rai-kirah series. As an epic fantasy trilogy, it has a good sized cast. Berg changed every named character and changed them all again in each book. Wow. With an overwhelming number of examples all in one place, I finally got it.
Good morning, Kathy.
Sounds like Carol Berg could teach me a thing or two about building characters and keeping loyal readers. Her trilogy sounds intriguing. And her bio is also intriguing. It starts with “Who would ever imagine that someone who majored in math so she wouldn’t have to write papers would produce fifteen epic fantasy novels?” I like her already! 🙂
Thanks for joining us this fine Friday, and have a great weekend!
I just finished one recommended HERE a couple of weeks ago – an oldie but a goodie that I hadn’t read before…
_The Shepherd_, Fredrick Forsyth, 1975, I believe… and not about sheep, but about an aviator lost in the weather on his way home on Christmas Eve…
I remember reading Forsyth’s _The Day of the Jackle_ way back in high school… can’t believe I didn’t “stumble” across this one a lot sooner…
Glad to hear you read The Shepherd, George. I love that story.
There’s another one I haven’t read…and by one of my fave authors!
🙂
Just downloaded it!
🥳🥳🥳
Hi George!
I LOVE Forsyth, owned some of his paperback versions in high school. The Day of the Jackal is one of my fave books/movies.
I have one or two on my Kindle I haven’t read yet. Gotta get after that!
Thanks for dropping in this morning. Have a good one!
Glad to… and I forgot all about _The Odessa File_ until I was checking the copyright on _The Shepherd_ – and I’ve got a couple on the “reserve list” at the library…
Another of my faves!
🥳
The last book I read was The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. It’s a funny, twisty mystery set in a retirement community.
Hi Kay,
A retirement community. That puts me in mind of where my Dad lives right now. I know some of the other residents, speak to them all the time. And the staff. I think it’d be fun to put them in a novel, as long as none of them get hurt–only the bad guy(s)! And boy howdy! They’ve got some of their own stories to tell… 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
It came out as a streaming movie recently. Netflix? The cast included Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Helen Mirren. My sister said it was really enjoyable.
It couldn’t miss with those actors…3 of my favorites.
🙂
Last book was Stone and Sky, by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s part of his Rivers of London series of police procedurals featuring DS Grant who works magical cases for the Met. Currently reading Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. On deck, Mr. Gilstrap’s Burned Bridges.
Hi Bill!
“Burned Bridges” is great! Highly recommend, as well as the Grave series.
Thanks for adding to the Novel Round Robin this morning…
Currently binging David Baldacci. In the middle of “The Simple Truth.” I like his complex plots and well-drawn characters.
Good morning, Elaine.
Baldacci is a winner for sure. And I’m one of those who enjoy a complex plot, list of characters and relationships, glossary of words, etc. Some readers don’t want to be flipping back and forth trying to remember what achi means in Hebrew, or what kind of round shoots out of what kind of gun, but I revel in it.
Have a great weekend!
I write short reviews for a reader list I own so a review is always handy. I read this over the weekend. A library book on the Kindle platform.
THE LADY ON ESPLANADE, Karen White. “A Royal Street Novel,” Book 3. Penguin, November, 2025. Paranormal mystery. Nola Trenholm is dealing with two sets of ghosts and two mysteries. Her friend Beau’s mother’s ghost is back to warn about danger to him and Nola as her disappearance may be solved soon. Meanwhile, a new home Nola is helping restore has an unsolved cold case, two ghosts, and something evil. Also, a creepy antique doll keeps appearing in random places. The tragedies and mysteries of Hurricane Katrina on present-day New Orleans are as much a haunting as the dead humans. Nola and her friends all have romantic troubles, and Nola is torn between two men. I found the ghost mysteries much more interesting, and the romances slowed down the plot. The characters with medium abilities were annoying because they wouldn’t face their issues and their gifts, and Nola seemed to have a death wish fed by stupid decisions. But White’s novels are more literary than the standard paranormal, and it’s set in New Orleans.
Good morning, Marilyn!
I found the ghost mysteries much more interesting, and the romances slowed down the plot.
Not having read the book, I think I can still safely say that I’d agree with the above! But still, sounds intriguing. 🙂
Have a great weekend…
The last book I finished (on Monday) was Rebecca, by Daphne duMaurier. You may have heard of it, or at least seen the movie, the Netflix series, the whatever. If you haven’t here’s the synopsis. This poor, nameless loser chick is a paid companion to some old obnoxious rich American spending her winter in Monte Carlo. A handsome, brooding, rich English guy, conveniently recently widowed, walks into her life. Naturally the old bat gets sick, giving our nameless heroine (can I really call her a protagonist?) a chance to spend some quality with the rich brooder. Of course this leads to a wedding in about two weeks. Because, you know, this is how it always happens. So they go back to his mansion, which is so fancy it even has a name: Manderley. Since our nameless narrator is also lacking a spine she becomes haunted by the idea of the dead wife. Turns out the housekeeper loved her. Everybody loved her, even the husband. All nameless chick can think about is Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca. Why she can’t be bothered to grow a pair and get her own life is beyond me. Finally there’s a big blow up and Mr. Handsome finally confesses to her that he hated Rebecca so much he murdered her. With a gun. And then covered it up by sending her corpse off in a boat and intentionally misidentifying another body as hers. Now, I dunno about you, but my spouse tells me he offed wife number one and covered it up I’m immediately thinking of a way to extricate myself from the house and relationship pronto because I’ve always made a point of not dating or marrying murderers. YMMV. But nameless chick ain’t me. She is freaking ecstatic over this news. It means he never loved that haunting B Rebecca, he loves her, and that’s all that matters in her little life. This newfound knowledge allows her to grow a spine, stand up to the housekeeper, and help her husband further conceal the crime when the inevitable doo doo hits the fan. Ah, romance. So she finds love, he gets away with murder, the house burns down, and if you want to know how it ends you’ll have to read the beginning of the book.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
I vaguely remember reading that novel as an impressionable young teenage girl. At the time, I thought it was a cool story. 🙄
But what did I know…then? 🤣
Thanks for dropping by, cat friend, and have a great weekend!