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Books of Note – August, 2026
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“The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave
A husband goes missing and leaves his daughter behind with Hannah, his new wife. What could possibly cause him to do such an uncharacteristic thing? Is he dead? Did he do what the FBI says he’s been accused of? The only thing Hannah knows for sure is that her husband wanted her to protect his daughter. Why? From what/whom? A terrific mystery, with emotional twists and plot turns. I turned the last page and counted the weeks until the sequel was published. Wow!
“Tin Men” by Nelson & Alex DeMille
“Tin Men” is the final book that the DeMille father and son team wrote together before Nelson passed away. It’s a chilling look at military scientific research gone wrong. Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor work together again to investigate a grisly suspicious death at a secret base in the desert where they are not welcome, are thwarted at every turn, and must invoke military code in order to get any information at all. It’s so well written that I wondered how much was actually based in truth, and then… real-life headlines gave credence to my wondering. Yikes.
“The Spy Coast” by Tess Gerritsen
Gerritsen has created another hit mystery series, this time featuring several brilliant senior citizens who have retired to a quiet lake community in rural Maine. Seniors who happen to be former CIA officers. They may have sought a quieter life initially, but when Maggie Bird (now a chicken farmer) discovers a dead body in her driveway, the group uses their considerable talent to solve the crime and add a little excitement to the days. The local police chief provides the legitimate arm-of-the-law touch to ground the story in reality. Great fun!
“Ransom” by Daniel Silva
The latest Gabriel Allon novel showcases his current life after officially leaving the Israeli intelligence agency. The family is transitioning full-time to a peaceful existence in the art restoration world. Sure. Let’s go with that. Many of our favorite characters have returned in this entertaining entry into the series, and provide welcome support to Allon as he solves a case that shuffles money, people, and beloved Old Masters. As usual, real-life global politics drives the motivation for the plot twists. “Ransom” has a rip-roaring ending and Silva promises that he’s working on the next one. My calendar has the target month circled.
Happy Reading to all!
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Gerritsen has created another hit mystery series, this time featuring several brilliant senior citizens who have retired to a quiet lake community in rural Maine. Seniors who happen to be former CIA officers. They may have sought a quieter life initially, but when Maggie Bird (now a chicken farmer) discovers a dead body in her driveway, the group uses their considerable talent to solve the crime and add a little excitement to the days. The local police chief provides the legitimate arm-of-the-law touch to ground the story in reality. Great fun!
“Ransom” by Daniel Silva
The latest Gabriel Allon novel showcases his current life after officially leaving the Israeli intelligence agency. The family is transitioning full-time to a peaceful existence in the art restoration world. Sure. Let’s go with that. Many of our favorite characters have returned in this entertaining entry into the series, and provide welcome support to Allon as he solves a case that shuffles money, people, and beloved Old Masters. As usual, real-life global politics drives the motivation for the plot twists. “Ransom” has a rip-roaring ending and Silva promises that he’s working on the next one. My calendar has the target month circled.
Happy Reading to all!
