⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve been trying to get my hands on this novella for nearly five years, ever since I read Thirteen and became hooked on the Eddie Flynn series. The Cross wasn’t available in the U.S. for the longest time, and I even looked into ways to bypass regional restrictions just to read it. Nothing ever worked. So imagine my surprise and delight when I spotted it on NetGalley’s audiobook list this week!

I’ve read the series completely out of order, always jumping at whichever title I could get in the U.S. Eventually I’d love to revisit the whole series from the beginning, and now that I’ve finally listened to this prequel, I can say it was absolutely worth the wait.

Despite its short length, The Cross tackles a weighty and timely subject: police brutality and the excessive use of force in America. In the author’s note, Cavanagh reveals that the story was inspired by the 2014 death of Eric Garner in New York City. The note moved me to tears, which hasn’t ever happened before.

I’m still amazed at how well Steve Cavanagh, an Irish author, captures the tone and cadence of American (especially New York) dialogue. If I ever make it to one of his author events, that’s the first question I’ll ask.

🎧 Adam Sims did a fantastic job with the narration, adding to the intensity and pacing of the story.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for the advance audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

14 books in July
🎧 13 audiobooks, 1 Kindle 📲
❤️ Best: Welcome to Murder Week
🗻 Meh: Death in the Air
🐚 Short & sweet: Beach Hut 512
👽 Big beast: Under the Dome
🆕 Read early thanks to @netgalley:
🔎 The Killer Question & 💄The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold
🔁 Re-read faves: 👻 You Like It Darker & 🕵️‍♀️ The Blonde Identity

• Welcome to Murder Week Karen Dukess ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Death in the Air: A Novel Ram Murali ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Fifty Fifty (Eddie Flynn #5) Steve Cavanagh ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Beach Hut 512 Dorothy Koomson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder in Season (Lady of Letters Mystery #3) Mary Winters ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant (Merritt & Blunt Mysteries, #1) Liza Tully ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The House at Devil’s Neck: A Locked-Room Mystery (Joseph Spector Series, Book 4) Tom Mead ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Under The Dome Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold Ally Carter ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Odyssey (Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology, #4) Stephen Fry ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Killer Question Janice Hallett ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Blonde Identity Ally Carter ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7) Martha Wells ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• You Like It Darker Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Janice Hallett returns with another cleverly constructed mystery told through her signature format (emails, voicemails, and assorted documents), inviting the reader to become the detective. This time, the story kicks off with an email to Netflix from a curious nephew suggesting they adapt the unbelievable events that took place at a sleepy rural pub, where weekly trivia nights are the biggest attraction.

At the heart of it all are Sue and Mal Eastwood, a seemingly unremarkable married couple who run the pub, but with a hidden past. Both are former police officers, something they go to great lengths to keep under wraps. When a man is found dead near the pub following a very public altercation with Mal, the layers of deception begin to unravel. Interspersed flashbacks reveal a shadowy police operation from their past that may hold the key to everything.

The title, The Killer Question, is a nod to a final tie-breaking trivia question that Mal saves for the most competitive quiz nights, though it soon takes on a much more sinister meaning.

Hallett’s epistolary style once again proves perfect for this kind of slow-burn mystery, keeping readers piecing together the truth right up to the final page.

📚 Special thanks to @netgalley and Atria Books/Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date 9/23

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A perfect follow-up to The Blonde Identity! This sequel fills in the gaps from the first book by diving into the story from the other twin sister’s perspective. It sheds light on why the sisters aren’t as close as you might expect, adding emotional depth to the fast-paced, spy-filled plot. The enemies-to-lovers trope is executed flawlessly; fun, flirty, and just the right amount of tension.

I even re-listened to The Blonde Identity before starting this one, and I’m glad I did. I usually shy away from romance with much spice, but Ally Carter writes such charming, likable characters that I was fully invested from start to finish.

Narrators Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet are pitch-perfect, bringing both the action and the chemistry to life.

Special thanks to @netgalley and HarperAudio Adult for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Wrapped up the month with 22 audiobooks! 🎧

🌟 Top picks (tie):
The Lantern’s Dance and A Case of Mice and Murder. I did a review on both already. The Lantern’s Dance is the 18th book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series that starts with A Beekeepers Apprentice.

🙅‍♀️ Biggest letdown:
The Maze — definitely not for me. It was advertised as a book about the Gilgo Beach murders, but it barely mentioned them. It was the last book in the series and was a big letdown.

🔁 I revisited If It Bleeds to re-read The Life of Chuck before watching the film adaptation — and they absolutely nailed it.

🤖 Started The Murderbot Diaries thanks to the show, and I’m happy to report he’s just as adorable (and emotionally avoidant) in the books.

• The First Gentleman Bill Clinton ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder at Hambledon Hall (Cleopatra Fox Mysteries Book 10) C.J. Archer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Busybodies: There’s a Mystery Around Every Corner (Busybodies Collection, #1-6) Elle Cosimano ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Knave of Diamonds (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, #19) Laurie R. King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Lantern’s Dance (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, #18) Laurie R. King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6) Martha Wells ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) Martha Wells ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) Martha Wells ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3) Martha Wells ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Murder for Miss Hortense: A Mystery Mel Pennant ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Panther  (John Corey, #6) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Lion (John Corey, #5) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Wild Fire (John Corey, #4) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Night Fall (John Corey, #3) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Lion’s Game (John Corey, #2) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Radiant Angel (John Corey, #7) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Maze (John Corey, #8) Nelson DeMille ⭐️ ⭐️
• Kill Your Darlings Peter  Swanson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• With a Vengeance Riley Sager ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Four Queens of Crime: A Mystery Rosanne Limoncelli ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Case of Mice and Murder: The Trials of Gabriel Ward, Book 1 Sally Smith ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• If It Bleeds Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#audiobook #bookwrapup #june2025reads #murderbot #stephenking #cozymystery #booktok #bookstagram

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I really enjoyed this but I’m starting to wonder what is wrong with a book that’s just told in chronological order. For audiobook listeners it can be a little harder to tell when a chapter changes so constantly going backwards and changing perspectives makes it more challenging 🤓