In Flint in the Bones Eva St. John introduced a fabulous new world. I think that Fire in the Flint, the second book in the Norwich Map Runners series, is even better. With the world established there was more room for the characters and mystery. I’m looking forward to Blood in the Maps, out in November.
After waiting FOREVER for This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews I read it in a day and was blown away by how it built. Layer upon layer of world building and character introductions leading to very effective plot twists. It’s definitely going on my re-read shelf, and I want the next book now!
I picked up a new release by SeanS3r3s, and while the strange author name didn’t fill me with confidence, the comedic narrative voice appealed to me and I enjoyed the Overpowered Demon Lord Slayer: An OP MC Slice of Life LitRPG. I’ll be reading book 2 in May.
KM Shea stepped back from writing for a couple of years to deal with some health issues. Her books are among my comfort re-reads, so I waited hopefully that she’d be able to return to writing. She is doing so, but very carefully, while prioritizing her health. Managing the Vampire’s Mansion came out this month. It’s her only book for 2026 and it was wonderful. A warm hug of a book. I hope she continues to prioritize her health and I’ll be joyously happy if we get any more books from her.
I picked up a vintage British mystery by E C R Lorac, Still Waters. Books like this, written as very contemporary mysteries which have now passed into the historical mystery category by virtue of decades passing, are compelling windows into the past. Post-war Britain, its fears, constraints, and hopes are laid out, albeit for a comfortably middle class ideal.
In non-fiction, I read Alchemy. The Surprising Power of Ideas that Don’t Make Sense by Rory Sutherland. It left me with so much to think about. I haven’t clarified my ideas yet, so I’ll just leave you with a few quotes. Although I have to say that the discussion of uncertainty left me thinking about the criticism some people offer regarding mystery and romance novels; that they’re formulaic. Yes, and that’s why they’re the topselling genres! Uncertainty is reduced to a manageable and enjoyable level.
“If you are wholly predictable, people learn to hack you.”
“The reason we don’t always behave in a way which corresponds with conventional ideas of rationality is not because we are silly: it is because we know more than we know we know.”
“…it is borne out in many fields of decision science. We will pay a disproportionately high premium for the elimination of a small degree of uncertainty – why this matters so much is that it finally explains the brand premium that consumers pay.”
“This is essentially a heuristic – a rule of thumb. The more reputational capital a seller stands to lose, the more confident I am in their quality control.” [I’m thinking about this as an independent author, which means, in effect, that I’m an independent, one-author publisher. A traditional publisher, having a stable of authors, can have an author screw up. I can’t afford to. So, for indie authors who are in this game for the long haul—and I’ve been in it for over a decade now—every book carries reputational risk and weight.]
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