This curiously dark legal tale boasts an undaunted, complicated hero.
A lawyer’s involvement in a murder case leads her to a much bigger and potentially deadly secret in Ross’ thriller.
One small but crucial mistake in her last case continues to haunt junior associate James Woodsen. If she wants any chance of climbing the ranks at her Boston criminal defense firm, she needs a big win. That opportunity may lie with the firm’s newest client: Damien Blackhollow, a billionaire CEO who’s been arrested for his fiancée’s fatal stabbing. James looks at the evidence that points to Damien, wondering if he could be responsible for the ritualistic symbols carved into the victim’s body. James follows a lead to Salem’s Fall, a nearby town famous for its 17th-century witch trials. Her dubious client suddenly shows up, under the pretense of “helping," as James learns local legends of rituals and human sacrifices. Someone sends James anonymous messages to warn her off the case—but the warnings are closer to threats. Ross builds a solid narrative foundation by first establishing an absorbing legal case. Readers will also be engaged by James’ troubles at work, including a desperation to “make up” for her blunder, a scornful male colleague, and some dismissing her professionally simply because she’s pretty. While mystery awaits her in Salem’s Fall, the story offers only intermittent suspense—James rarely seems worried about a killer possibly targeting her. There’s nevertheless a lot to keep readers turning the pages, from James’ own history (her father is in jail for her mother’s murder) to the discovery of other homicides that likely tie together. Hints of romance are yet another draw, as James has connections with both the “objectively yumable” (her best friend’s words) Damien and her firm’s senior partner, Quinn Kensington, who treats her like the skilled lawyer she is. What’s really happening in Salem’s Fall may not surprise savvy mystery fans, but the memorable climax will certainly shock many.
This curiously dark legal tale boasts an undaunted, complicated hero.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780988256897
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Ic13 Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.
Lt. Eve Dallas’ 63rd futuristic case is less a whodunit than a manhunt for an unusually sympathetic killer.
Thirteen years ago, way back in 2048, scientific genius Steve Redman—father of the Banner-Wyst corporation’s Rainmaker Project—narrowly escaped death in a gas explosion that killed his pregnant wife and infant son and 200 other residents of their New York City apartment building the night before he planned to report his suspicions about the company to the FBI. Now the bill is coming due for Banner-Wyst. The first death to be discovered is that of Lawrence Chu, Redman’s colleague and trusted friend, whose tenure as director of bioengineering science ends when he’s beaten to death. For quite a while, Dallas and her partner, Det. Delia Peabody, know less about this mystery than their readers do. But when Ezra Dent, a consultant to Banner-Wyst who worked with Redman and Chu back in the day, is murdered in exactly the same ferocious way, Dallas and Peabody, with help from Roarke, Dallas’ tech-billionaire husband, promptly put the pieces together and determine who they’re looking for. The search for Redman, who went AWOL from his hospital bed without a trace six years ago, has its own challenges. So does Dallas’ attempt to get cooperation from partners Calvin Banner and Jacob Wyst, who are clearly in the crosshairs of a killer who seems a lot less monstrous than they are. If the breaks in the case are suspiciously convenient in arriving, readers can pride themselves on taking sides against a mega-corporation whose self-avowed ecological saintliness is undermined by its leaders’ underhanded dealing.
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414564
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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