A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle

A Fatal Crossing
by Tom Hindle

ISBN-13: 9798217185740
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Dutton
Released: July 28, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton carrying 2,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage to New York. When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, and the ship's captain is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye.

Ship's officer Timothy Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting. Its existence is known only to its owner and the dead man. Temple and Birch's search for the culprit is hurried as just days remain until they reach New York and more bodies are added to the count.


My Review:
A Fatal Crossing is set in 1924 on a death boat. Er, cruise ship. I had so many problems with this book, but the first is that I read mysteries to see justice done. Every bad person in this story (murderer, thief, or just looking away when a rule was broken or crime committed) walked away free, no justice done, and with a pile of bodies left in their wake.

The characters weren't likable, either. The British police officer was rude, mean, and disdainful toward everyone, even the captain of the ship. Ship officer Birch seemed incompetent from the beginning, and he's stupid. For example, a knife taken from the restaurant was found in the room where the painting was stolen and became evidence. Birch later had a sharp object pressed against his side by someone who would never have been allowed in the restaurant (his earlier conclusion) but he thinks the object must be that same knife. Logic need not apply. Birch also repeatedly said he'd report this or do that but then we skip ahead and he hasn't.

The mystery made no sense. It started with the premise that a famous painter who only painted landscapes was rumored to have painted a portrait. An artist thinks he's found the painting even though an experienced art dealer didn't think it was anything special. But the artist is going to try to sell the painting--which few art buyers think even exists--at a big art show everyone's going to. People found out about it and practically everyone tried to steal it with the intent of then selling it at the art show. Um, first, stolen property can't be sold openly! Second, even the owner would have to explain how he got the painting and have art experts examine the painting and decide if it's a fake or not. Third, we find out that the painting was taken out into pounding rain so bad that one couldn't see where they were going. It had to have gotten wet, which would destroy a watercolor painting, then it was stored in a place (which I guessed!) and in a way that would have prevented it from drying out properly, thereby ruining the painting even if it was an oil painting. But not only is the stolen painting not an actual portrait but it's in perfect condition. Sigh.

Finally, our detectives were stupid. The police officer took one look at the body in the morgue and concluded he must have been pushed off the top of the steps, hit his head, and died. I could think of several other ways the man could have a head wound on the back of his head and be found at the base of the stairs. Later, the police officer accepted that his theory of whodunit was wrong and gave up because he couldn't think of anything else to ask or do. I'm thinking, um, here's a long list of questions you never asked and clues you never followed up on. Birch even tasked a porter with looking into a matter only to completely forget to follow up with the fellow. This was a long, frustrating read.

At about 80%, I came up with a scenario which fit all of the clues and would have been a satisfying, classic mystery. I knew it wasn't the author's solution, which turned out to be so convoluted and unbelievable I thought, 'well, of course no one would guess this.' I did guess the twist in the last 10%. Ruined the whole story. And the ending was left open-ended as to if that action led to the hoped for result.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There was no sex. Go read a classic mystery and leave this on the shelf.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon

The Cloak and Dagger Club
by Jackie McMahon

ISBN-13: 9798217189557
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: July 14, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
London, 1930. Lucy Hubbard is on the cusp of achieving her dreams. With her first mystery novel debuting with strong sales and glowing reviews, she's been invited by Horace Hazelmoor, the king of crime fiction, to join his elite group of writers—the Cloak and Dagger Club.

Thrilled at the opportunity, Lucy finds herself swept up into Horace's glamorous world at the Ritz hotel. She's even willing to put up with the inconvenient presence of her former fiancé, Frank Murray, the club's rising star who is on track to eclipse Horace as Britain's most popular crime writer.

But when Horace is found with a knife in his back, Frank is the police's prime suspect. Despite their complicated history, Lucy knows he's not capable of murder. With suspects galore and the danger rising, these two mystery writers must race to solve the crime—and fight their lingering feelings for each other.


My Review:
The Cloak and Dagger Club is a romance set in 1930 in England. Frank and Lucy met as children, became best friends, and fell in love. Lucy supported Frank's writing, but when he made it big as a published crime novelist, he neglected his now-fiancée in his craving for the praise and approval that he'd never gotten from his abusive father. Lucy broke up with him and wrote her own best-selling mystery novels. Three years later, they meet again at a crime writer's club meeting, investigate a murder, decide they're still in love, and we end with the details of their wedding. This is romance genre. While the characters were engaging and mildly developed, the mystery simply existed to help us get to know the characters better.

While some of this might be fixed by the final version (as I read an Advanced Reader Copy), I wasn't particularly impressed with the mystery aspect. Yes, there were clues, but it was a pretty simple mystery. Lucy was observant, but she failed to put clues together and only solved the crime because whodunit was convinced Lucy had it figured out and basically prompted her to reason it out. Frank at least had a burst of brilliance in which he put clues together and came to rescue Lucy.

Anyway, the main problems: One, the workers at the hotel where the victim lived had motive, means, and opportunity, but Frank and Lucy immediately decided the murderer must be someone from the writer's club. No one, not even the police, once suspected the barman who could have easily done the whole thing. Two, the police don't appear to do any detective work beyond providing time of death and a mention that both poison and a knife were involved. The detective simply harassed Lucy to pressure her into accusing Frank. Three, even though it was extremely obvious when the poisoning occurred, that death took some time, and that the knife didn't kill the victim, Frank and Lucy asked for alibis for when the death occurred. This was meaningless information.

They also spent most of their investigation digging up secrets on their fellow club members in the hopes of finding a motive. This should have messed up their friendships but somehow everyone's the best of friends by the end. Somehow along the way people forgot to even question how the knife got into the victim's back, and we only learned the answer in the final few paragraphs because we're in the thoughts of that attempted murderer. But we're supposed to pass attempted murder off as okay because it was a homosexual who did it out of love to protect their partner from exposure. Hmm.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Light of Stars by Jenelle Hovde

The Light of Stars
by Jenelle Hovde

ISBN-13: 9798400502934
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Released: July 14, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When Kitty Grenville’s grandfather announces her engagement to Sebastian Sinclair, she’s appalled. She barely remembers the boy she met once as a child—and now he’s a man tied to the East India Company, the very organization that tore her and her brother from their mother and home in Hyderabad years ago. Unwilling to relinquish her dream of a love match or her passion for astronomy, Kitty is determined to refuse the marriage and find freedom in her own way.

Sebastian Sinclair carries the weight of duty and regret. To atone for past sins, he complies with his grandfather’s orders to return to England, fulfill a long-standing betrothal, and defend the maligned East India Company before Parliament. Though Kitty makes her disinterest clear, Sebastian is drawn to her intellect and spirit.

As Kitty navigates her first London season, her opinion of Sebastian begins to shift—especially when he shields her from scandal. When he’s abruptly called back to India, Kitty stuns everyone by marrying him and going with him, hoping to escape her grandfather’s control—and to find her mother.

But the challenges that await in India are greater than imagined. Together, Kitty and Sebastian must confront the legacy of family and empire—and decide if a marriage born of obligation can grow into a love strong enough to endure.


My Review:
The Light of Stars is a Christian romance set in 1814 in England and India. I had to keep reminding myself of just how very young and sheltered Kitty was. She's the daughter of a British man and a Muslim princess whose father ruled an area in India. When her father died (from the illness going around? or murdered due to politics?), the grandfather took her and her brother from the harem and raised them in England. Kitty deeply resented the East India Company for this, though I couldn't see how they were at fault. She idealized what life as a Muslim princess in India with her mother would have been like. Her main objections to Sebastian seemed to be that he didn't declare undying love for her, that he worked for the hated East India Company, and that he got to live in India and knew more about it than she did.

She wanted true love or her independence to pursue astronomy. Though Kitty's warned by several people that her behavior could cause a sandal, she publicly favored a suitor who's mainly interested in her money when people knew she's intended to marry Sebastian. She naively believed the man's flattery only to learn that the image she'd built up of him was an illusion and it's Sebastian that's been supporting her and trying to give her the things her heart desires.

Sebastian believed he could help guide East India Company in respecting the local workers while still making a profit for the British in India. Yet men that he respected were sure that there was more corruption and abuse than he's aware of. Both Kitty and Sebastian had to face reality and hard choices as secrets were uncovered. The characters were likable, and historical details were woven into the story that brought the setting alive. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Conspiracy by Colleen Coble

Conspiracy
by Colleen Coble

ISBN-13: 9780840714671
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: July 7, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Just as wildlife veterinarian Paradise Alden begins to envision a future with Blake Lawson, the ghosts of her past return with a vengeance. The murder of her parents has shadowed her for fifteen years, but a new threat brings the cold case into the terrifying present. A trained leopard--a chilling embodiment of Paradise's deepest fears--is now stalking her.

Haunted by resurfacing memories, Paradise, Blake, and her newfound brother, Drew, follow a trail of clues that leads them into a web of dark family secrets. The deeper they dig, the more shocking the connections become, linking their families to a dangerous conspiracy that someone is still willing to kill to protect.

Paradise, Blake, and Drew must race to expose a murderer who has remained hidden for fifteen years, but this time, they are the ones being stalked. If they can't unmask the killer, the past will destroy both the fragile future Paradise and Blake are trying to build and the family she has finally found with her brother.


My Review:
Conspiracy is a Christian romantic suspense. This is the third book in a series and continues the story of the main characters in the previous books. Drew, Paradise, and Blake asked questions, found clues, and made connections regarding the deaths of Drew's and Paradise's parents. Two of the bad guys were pretty guessable as the clues built up, and they weren't a surprise to Paradise's group, either. While I didn't guess the main whodunit until the critical clue was uncovered, I did wonder at this person's behavior shortly before the reveal. This killer made a mild attempt to misdirect the investigation but did so by pointing them toward two major clues, one of which prompted Paradise to remember the truth. Basically, the killer needlessly exposed themselves, and I don't quite understand why (though the killer had plans to disappear, and I suppose killers aren't required to be logical).

The main characters were likable and reacted realistically to events. The suspense came from the danger from the attacks on Paradise. Blake and Paradise supported each other and worked well together. Paradise grew in her trust that God cared about her. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

A Killer on Campus by Rhonda Starnes

A Killer on Campus
by Rhonda Starnes

ISBN-13: 9781488238680
Audiobook, Unabridged: 208 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Released: June 30, 2026

Source: audiobook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
After dodging bullets twice in one evening, forensic photographer Jane Mason realizes that she’s the target of a killer who wants to hide his crimes. Reopening the investigation of her aunt’s decades-old murder has painted a target on her back, and the culprit is closing in fast. Ridge Snyder—her estranged childhood friend and a former navy SEAL—is determined to protect her from the threats and uncover the killer’s identity. But safety is fleeting as the culprit escalates the stakes, setting deadly traps at every turn. Can Jane and Ridge unearth the truth about the past, or will the killer’s final move silence Jane forever?


My Review:
A Killer on Campus is a Christian romantic suspense novel. Jane, her twin brother, and Ridge were best friends as kids, but Ridge turned down Jane's request to date in high school because he felt she deserved someone who knew how to be a good husband. He then convinced her brother to enlist as a SEAL with him, which Jane opposed and said it'd end up with her brother killed. And she was right, so she's refused to talk to or acknowledge Ridge since then. She continued to barely tolerate his help when her life was threatened and he repeatedly saved her. She also kept making it hard for him to protect her by insisting they do things her way. But he knew her well and understood what he was getting into.

Jane finally came to realize how her actions had impacted various people, putting them in danger or causing Ridge to carry a heavy burden of guilt over her brother's death. She did change her behavior, forgive Ridge, and helped Ridge to forgive himself. I understood why she decided she had always loved him: who wouldn't want to be loved and protected even when you're not being that lovable?

The suspense came from the danger to Jane and those who helped her. They also tried to solve the old mystery, though Jane only uncovered one clue. Ridge had a strong faith in God and prayed over things that concerned him and didn't just ask for help in staying alive. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense novel.

The narrator of the audiobook did a good job of saying the text in a way consistent with the text (with surprise if surprised, etc.), and it was easy to follow who was talking and what was going on. She read the story in a way that easily kept my interest.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Spy Keeper of Marseille Roseanna M. White

The Spy Keeper of Marseille
by Roseanna M. White

ISBN-13: 9798400501784
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: July 7, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband was killed in the war, Zelie focused on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by helping organize a spy ring. When the spy ring's leader is imprisoned, she has to take command of France’s largest spy ring.

Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded messages over the airwaves.

As Zelie and Marcel grow closer through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at risk.


My Review:
The Spy Keeper of Marseille is a Christian romantic suspense set in 1941-1942 in France. Zelie's very believable as a woman who could run a spy ring primarily made up of men. We got to see how she developed the spy ring, learning from mistakes so they could do things better ways and grow the number of people involved. However, though we're repeatedly told how vital her work is, we're never really shown how the information they discovered led to a military victory or something like that. Given the repeated empasisis on how she's so vital and must not be captured, it made no sense that, at the end, she stayed behind to personally oversee the evacuation of their central command when others could do it and they knew that Nazis were on the way. It did lead to an enjoyable, exciting ending, but I still don't like it when authors have their heroines inexplicably do something stupid to create that ending.

That said, the characters were well developed, complex people. They acted realistically, and I cared about what happened to them. Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, creating a distinct sense of the time and place. Marcel was uniquely able to support Zelie in her role and ecouraged her through his music and words. He showed her love without expecting (though hoping for) romantic love in return.

Both characters learned that God had a bigger view than theirs and to trust Him during difficult, confusing events. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Protecting the Baby by Jodie Bailey

Protecting the Baby
by Jodie Bailey

ISBN-13: 9781488238628
Audiobook, Unabridged
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Released: June 30, 2026

Source: audiobook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
When a dangerous assailant trespasses on his ranch in the middle of the night, K-9 Officer Eli Blackwood must act quickly to outwit a kidnapper targeting his neighbor and her baby. Protecting veterinarian Carly Mayor and the infant she’s become guardian to means going off the grid and hiding out at his grandfather’s cabin. But who is after baby Ariel…and does it have to do with the mysterious deaths of her parents? Chased through the Colorado wilderness by deadly gunmen, Carly and Eli must work together to survive.


My Review:
"Protecting the Baby is a Christian romantic suspense. Eli lost his pregnant wife in an accident and is reluctant to love again. Carly's dear friends were both murdered within months of each other, leaving her as the guardian of their young baby. Someone wants guardianship of the baby so they can access her secret inheritance, but someone's also trying to kidnap the baby--why? Eli and his protection K9 not only protected Carly and the baby but worked to uncover what's going on. He also worked with his team to solve a ongoing case of a pregnant girl who's been kidnapped as the last in a series of kidnapped pregnant girls that have been found murdered after giving birth.

The suspense came from the danger to Carly and the baby as well as the looming deadline on finding the missing girl in time. Eli and Carly asked good questions, and Eli did a good job of protecting Carly. They fell in love as they spent time together. They'd already become good friends as neighbors, but the danger brought them closer together as they dealt with past and present hurts. Both trusted in God and prayed for help. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense.

The narrator of the audiobook did a good job of saying the text in a way consistent with the text (with surprise if surprised, etc.), and it was easy to follow who was talking and what was going on. She read the story in a way that immersed me in the story and easily kept my interest. 5 stars.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.