Book Review: The Only One Who Knows

Title: The Only One Who Knows

Author: Lisa Matlin

Publisher: Ballantine

Publication Date: Macrh 3, 2026

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Kangaroo Bay is a grimy Australian fishing town soaked in violence and secrets, where "silence is their first language" and the darkness runs deeper than the ocean. When disgraced TV reporter Minnow Greenwood returns after a public meltdown, she finds a place where locals vanish, shark attacks pile up, and domestic violence festers behind closed doors like an infected wound.

Matlin uses the Australian beach culture to brilliant effect, creating atmosphere that feels both exotic and claustrophobic. The "blood boys" and "blood men" of Kangaroo Bay aren't just colorful details—they're the rotting heart of a community built on unspoken brutality. "Nobody really spoke about the violence. It's not something you speak of. It changes you, though."

What fascinated me most was the central question: what happens when you finally snap? When you've had enough of holding it in, of being prey? Sometimes you become the shark instead. The book explores the masks we wear, the polished exteriors hiding feral rage, and asks who we really are underneath—or if we're the only ones who truly know ourselves.

The twists caught me off guard. Most characters are deeply unlikeable, including Minnow, but that's the point. These are damaged people in a damaged place, and Matlin doesn't flinch from the ugliness.

If there's a weakness, it's that the relentless darkness can feel overwhelming. But for a story about generational violence and predation—both human and animal—maybe that's exactly right.

A big thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review: Worse Than a Lie

Title: Worse Than a Lie

Author: Ben Crump

Publisher: Ballantine

Publication Date: February 17, 2026

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I picked up this advanced reader copy expecting a legal thriller, but what I got was something more—a story that forces you to confront uncomfortable truths about justice, race, and the systems meant to protect us all.

The premise is explosive: Hollis Montrose, a Black ex-cop, is shot ten times during a traffic stop on the night Barack Obama is elected president. Attorney Beau Lee Cooper takes on the case despite impossible odds. Ben Crump, drawing on his real-world experience as a civil rights attorney, crafts a narrative that moves quickly and pulls no punches about institutional racism within law enforcement.

Where the book stumbles slightly is in characterization. Some figures, particularly antagonists like Jack, veer into caricature territory. The systemic corruption feels so extreme that I questioned whether such blatant racial bias could actually exist unchecked—though Crump's own career suggests these scenarios may be less exaggerated than I'd like to believe. The partnerships in the story develop authentically from tension into solidarity, and the moral complexity Beau Lee faces adds depth beyond a simple good-versus-evil framework.

This is a promising start to the Attorney Beau Lee series, and I'm genuinely interested in reading what comes next. While it may not be a perfect thriller, it's an important one that entertains while challenging readers to think critically about justice in America.

A big thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Top Reads of 2025

 Top Reads of 2025

I read 121 books in 2025, the most in a single year since I started counting. Retirement has its perks. The year bookended nicely: starting with Peter Swanson's A Talent for Murder (4 stars) and closing with Fritz Gilbert's Keys to a Successful Retirement (4 stars). The oldest? The Amateur from 1981. The newest? Witness Protection, which won't hit shelves until April 2026. 

Out of 33 books I rated 5/5, here are my top ten, in alphabetical order.

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston (2026)

Ashley Elston at her absolute best—a tense, layered, and utterly consuming thriller that plays with perception, trust, and the lies we tell to protect ourselves and the ones we love. When Ben Bayliss is murdered his wife, Camille, has a perfect alibi: she was in a bar with witnesses. Except the woman in the bar wasn't Camille Bayliss, it was Aubrey Price. Time-jumping fragments build toward an explosive conclusion that left me reeling.

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey (2013)

Part sci-fi, part thriller, all adrenaline. In Sakey's world, "brilliants" with superpowers emerged in the 80s -- just 1% of the population, but enough to terrify everyone else. Nick Cooper is a brilliant federal agent hunting other brilliants labelled as terrorists. That is, until he becomes one himself: America's most wanted terrorist. Breakneck pacing with shrewd social commentary. The climax had me anxiously hunting for book 2 in this trilogy.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1985)

I don't read Westerns. But when a good friend asked me to read his favorite book -- a Pulitzer prize winner, no less --  I made a promise. At over 800 pages, I dreaded this behemoth. Boy was I wrong. This epic hooked me with its memorable cast of characters and interwoven stories that touched something deep within me. Why did it take me so long to discover this winner?

Look Closer by David Ellis (2022)

A book club pick from my graduate school, Imperial College, that looked like a fun thriller. Simon and Vicky are a wealthy Chicago couple who have it all -- until a beautiful socialite is found murdered nearby and their secrets start unravelling. Affairs, trust funds, grudges. It all adds up to a fast-paced novel of greed, revenge and obsession. I finished it in days, weeks ahead of the book club schedule.

Never Flinch  by Steven King (2025)

Steven King rarely disappoints. This thriller features Holly Gibney who has been in several of his books and who I last encountered in the supernatural horror, The Outsider. Here she is hired as a bodyguard for a women's rights activist targeted by a deranged killer. Cross this with another serial killer threatening to murder thirteen innocents and one guilty party and it is a perfect recipe for a wild ride.

Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer (2024)

Winner of ECPA's Christian book of the year award, Comer's modern classic calls us to rediscover a deeper life with God. As a pastor in Portland, he invites us to become apprentices of Jesus -- living by the practices and rhythms of  first century disciples. Slow down. Open up space. Let God do what only he can. This reminded of RIchard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. Easily the best Christian book I read in 2025.

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow (2025)

I love courtroom dramas, and Turow is the master. In Presumed Innocent, prosecutor Rusty Sabich was charged with murder. Here, retired judge Sabich is about to marry Bea when her son, Aaron, out on probation for drug possession, is charged with murder Rusty returns to the courtroom one last. Is he too rusty? Is Aaron, an ex-con, presumed guilty? Delightful, tense drama about true justice.

Retreat  by Krysten Ritter (2025)

Ritter, yes Jessie's doomed girlfriend from Breaking Bad, delivers a sophomore stunner. Con-woman Liz Dawson plays the long game. When she is hired to install some art for wealthy Isabelle Beresford at a fabulous Mexican coastal villa, she sees her chance to become Isabelle and pull off her final con. But secrets spin out of control. Who is Isabelle? Who is conning whom? Breakneck thrller about identity and obsession, and what we'll do for the life we want.

Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz (2022)

My son-in-law asked for some communication book recommendations for his engineering team. I found this gem. The authors developed a formula to prioritize information. And they communicate it in under 200 pages of short punchy chapters. I finished it in under 2 hours, and it challenged me to ruthlessly cut my writing to the bone. Find the core. Excise the rest. Need to brush up on communication? Read this. Now.

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (2024)

I expected another self-help book. Got something way better. Robbins shows how to stop giving away our power -- to the driver who cuts us off, the colleague who steals our ideas. Sop wasting energy on what you can't control. Break free from fear and self-doubt. Build resilience against the everyday stressors. Let them, let me. Four simple words. A new mantra for a new man. Get it. Try it. It works.

Book Review: The Impossible Fortune

Title: The Impossible Fortune

Author: Richard Osman

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication Date: September 30, 2025

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

There's something deeply comforting about settling in with the Thursday Murder Club gang again. Like visiting old friends who always have a new story to tell over tea.

The setup finds our beloved quartet in a quieter moment—Joyce is consumed with wedding planning, Elizabeth is mourning, Ron is wrestling with family issues, and Ibrahim continues his unlikely therapeutic relationship with a criminal. But when Elizabeth encounters Nick, a wedding guest seeking help who then vanishes without a trace, the gang is pulled back into action. The mystery centers on something valuable that Nick and his evasive business partner possess—valuable enough to kill for. Joyce's daughter Joanna joins the investigation as they untangle questions of kidnapping and an uncrackable code.

What makes this series special isn't just the mystery plotting, though Osman handles that well. It's the way these stories celebrate friendship, loyalty, and the idea that growing older doesn't mean you stop having complicated relationships or taking chances. The characters feel lived-in and real, each dealing with very human struggles while solving crimes that would challenge people half their age. Of the four, Ron remains my favorite—the gruff, loyal West Ham supporter and former union leader reminds me so much of my own mate Ron, a retired plumber who fills his days with endless hobbies and opinions.

The mystery itself delivers the twists and turns you'd expect, involving drug dealers, murderers, and police investigations, but Osman never loses sight of the emotional core. This book deepens our understanding of each character, revealing both vulnerabilities and unexpected strengths. The interplay between the original four and Joanna adds fresh energy without overshadowing what makes the series work.

Fair warning: jump in with book one if you haven't already. These characters have history together, and you'll want to know them properly before this adventure.