Veil: A novel by Jell Clulow

Veil: A novel

by Jeff Clulow

Release Date: August 1st, 2025

2025 Third Eye Press

Ebook ARC; 263 Pages

ISBN: 978-1764139700

ASIN: B0FJF4TL7D

Genre: Fiction / Gothic

Source: Review copy from author

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

An old house filled with riddles.
A young woman unable to laugh, unable to cry.
Now, through her dead mother’s wedding veil she will see the house not as it is, but as it once was.
She will glimpse the events of a day nearly thirty years before.
A day of obsession and cruelty.
A day of hope too, where a lost lover hides in the shadows.
Through the veil, she may come face-to-face with her family’s darkest secret.
She might learn the reason for her mother’s insanity.
She may even find a way back to her lost emotions.
And solve the mystery of her own past.

 

 

My Thoughts

Veil was not a traditional ghost story in the same way of other traditional ghost stories, but it was still haunting and atmospheric. It was more of a generational haunting story and how what happens to family members can have a huge effect on those in the current generation, almost floating on the boundaries of generational trauma. I really enjoyed the Gothic atmosphere of this story as well as the setting; the themes running through this book would make some great discussion points.

 

Suze discovers she has inherited a house from her mother, a woman she had never met nor known anything about. As someone who was floundering through life trying to find a purpose, this came as a shock as she had spent years trying to find out anything about her mother who gave her up for adoption, but she was determined to discover whatever she could. And that is one of the things I loved about Suze as a MC, her determination. Growing up in the foster care system, she had learned to hide her feelings and emotions at a very young age, so Suze's character development was immense as she learned to feel and to sympathize with what happened to her mother as she discovered secrets about her family she was not expecting. I thoroughly loved her determination and her willingness to give things a shot even when it was extremely difficult to do so. She had a lot to learn, but was willing to put in the work and do so.

 

The story itself wasn't overly unique, and it was a bit predictable, but I definitely enjoyed the journey. The addition of the veil to the story was fun and I wish the author had done a bit more with that aspect of the story as I felt it was underutilized. What ended up happening was more of a showing us what happened to Suze's mother rather than allowing the reader to discover it and I felt a bit let down by how that happened. I do want to make it clear though, the writing was still strong and I still enjoyed it, but a part of me was a bit disappointed to just be along for the journey rather than trying to figure it out as Suze discovered it. And it was not hard to figure out what was going on although it was still quite tragic.   

 

Verdict

Veil had an interesting mix of gothic tropes in the story, but the inclusion of the veil was unique and I enjoyed that aspect quite a bit. There was also another aspect that I thought was clever as it mirrored Suze's mother's trauma and would make a great discussion point, but I don't want to give spoilers in this review.  I liked the oppressive nature of the house, but have to say I loved the conclusion and what will happen even more.  While the delivery didn't quite work all of the time, and I wished the Gothic aspects had been used a bit more to push the level of tension (which was quite lacking for me), this was still an enjoyable read and I do recommend it to anyone who likes these types of books. 

 

Review: The Mudflats Murder Club by Brian Thiem

The Mudflats Murder Club (Mudflats Murder Club Mysteries, #1)

by Brian Thiem

Release Date: July 29, 2025

2025 Severn River Publishing

Ebook ARC; 354 Pages

ISBN: 978-1648756283

ASIN:  ‎ B0DBRJB1L8

Audiobook: B0FFM3XZ8D

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Former homicide detective and recently widowed Sean Tanner has settled into Spartina Island's private retirement community, hoping to find solace after his wife's death in their chosen paradise. He soon finds himself drawn into the Mudflats Murder Club, an enthusiastic group of retired detectives, prosecutors, and forensic experts who are engrossed in solving the 38-year-old unsolved murder of Theresa Goldberg.

But the quiet of the community is shattered when Sean’s neighbor, Nancy Russo, is found dead in her home. Ignited by the crime, the club jumps into the fray, much to the annoyance of Sergeant Charlotte “Charlie” Nash, the lead detective spearheading the murder investigation. When Sean and his cohorts uncover a shocking connection between Nancy’s murder and their long-standing cold case, everything they thought they knew goes up in flames.

My Thoughts

The Mudflats Murder Club is one of those books to which I was drawn because the main characters were retired and lived in a retirement community, and as someone was had just recently retired, I was drawn to the older characters and to lives that were similar to mine.  However, this was much more than that and I found this to be a well-plotted, very enjoyable mystery. 

 

The MC was a retired homicide detective who inadvertently became involved in the murder investigation of his neighbour. While he's reluctant to give his advice, his natural curiosity and his years as a detective are hard to put aside and he is asked to help which does not endear himself to the local detective. I enjoyed Sean's character development as I understand how hard it would be to not want to get involved even if you are retired as those years you spent on the job just don't go away because you are retired. At first he clashes with Charlie Nash, the lead detective on the case, although in all fairness, the annoyance was all on her side as she felt she didn't need the help. I wasn't a huge fan of Charlie at the beginning of the novel as her uppity attitude got on my nerves, but she did grow on me as the story developed.  The ego trips are sometimes hard to deal with and the book just barely touched on the political nature of the police force in the area, something I think will be incorporated in future books. 

 

The plot itself moved along fairly comfortably and there were enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages.  There were a lot of characters that were introduced, but it was not overwhelming, and many of them will probably feature in future books so I look forward to learning more about them as there are some intriguing characters, with some interesting backstories. What I especially liked is that the secondary characters are not just relegated to background noise, but the author took the time to develop a couple of them so they feel more fleshed out. The setting plays a huge role in the story and I enjoyed the descriptions of both the retirement community as well as the larger community in general.  I have visited the general area, so I was able to picture it in my mind.  

 

Verdict

The Mudflats Murder Club was an excellent introduction to a new series, and one I enjoyed tremendously. While there were a few problems with pace, I did like the attention to character development and setting, and thought the twists and turns were rather good. While I did figure out who was the culprit, I didn't understand the motive until the end, so that was fun.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, A Killer in the Cordgrass, when it releases February 2026.  

 

Review: Codebreaker by Jay Martel

Codebreaker

by Jay Martel

Release Date: July 22, 2025

2025 Wednesday Books

Softcover ARC: 384 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250355546

ASIN:  ‎ B0D19JY8MV

Audiobook: B0FKK7G3BT

Genre: Fiction / Thriller / YA

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Mia Hayes has peaceful plans for the summer—find a part-time job at a coffee shop and work on her application for Harvard. Those plans are shattered one night when government agents arrive unannounced at her home seeking something they believe her father has taken. When the dust settles, her mother is dead and her father is gone, a fugitive on the run.

Three weeks later, and still reeling from her father’s betrayal, Mia spends her seventeenth birthday at a protest in the heart of D.C., where she meets Logan, a rebellious and charming hacker. Just as she’s enjoying her first happy moment since the night her world exploded, a voicemail from her father arrives to upend everything she believed about her family, her past, and what really happened that night three weeks ago. Even more, the voicemail hides another encoded message inside which, once Mia solves it, sets her and Logan off on a mission from her sleepy suburb straight into the heart of the federal government.

 

My Thoughts

Codebreaker was a fun YA novel about a girl who discovers her family has secrets, ones in which others are willing to kill over. One night, Mia comes home and her peaceful and innocent existence was shattered, sending her on a birthday hunt that she wasn't expecting, one that could shape the future of her world. I loved the fact I could try to solve the clues with Mia and learn more about some of the codes and the code breakers who created them.

 

Mia was a smart and determined character, but she was also vulnerable having seen her mother die in front of her and knowing her father was on the run for something she wasn't sure he committed. With her world falling apart, she had to try to figure out who she was, but also figure out who her parents actually were. I really liked this aspect of the story as it is always a shock when a child discovers there is so much more to their parents than they thought and Mia's parents were hiding quite a bit; Mia had to rethink everything she knew about her relationship with them. I empathized with her struggle to try to fit this new reality into her current world and to re-discover the love she still had for them despite knowing their flaws and what they were doing as this would not have been easy to do. She would no longer be that innocent young girl she was before this happened, that's for sure.

 

The story took place over a short period of time, but moved along rather quickly. It actually reminded me a bit of the movie National Treasure where the main characters moved from one clue to the next with people trying to kill them every step of the way. I thought the story interwove the historical elements, the code breaking, and the current story quite seamlessly and yes, there were plenty of twists and turns, one of which actually caught me off guard as I wasn't thinking that way at all. However, the twist worked really well and I liked it a lot; it would also make a great discussion question about how well we really know about the people in our lives. Mia's sidekick Logan was a good addition to the story and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop, but there were secrets there as well, something I enjoyed quite a bit.  

 

Verdict

Codebreaker drew me because of the codes and the idea that I could also be immersed in breaking them, but it was so much more than that. The plot moved along quickly, full of twists and turns, and I enjoyed the historical details that were included throughout the story. Both Logan and Mia were fun characters to follow, but I didn't really feel like the concept of the 'enemies' thoughts and ideals was fully fleshed out and I did think more could have been done with that. However, this was still a fun story and I do recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read and is also fascinated with the concept of code breaking and puzzles. 

 

Review: The Paxton's Tower Murders by Stephen Puleston

The Paxton's Tower Murders (A Detective Caren Waits Mystery, #1)

by Stephen Puleston

Release Date: June 16, 2025

2025 Independently Published

Ebook ARC; 315 Pages

ISBN: 979-8284500903

ASIN: B0FDJ71QB6

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from author

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Detective Inspector Caren Waits was ready to prove herself on her first day in a new job—but she wasn’t expecting a murder. When a small-time drug dealer is found dead near The Paxton’s Tower, Caren is thrown into a case that demands her full attention.

Leading an unfamiliar team, she must prove she has what it takes to command respect and catch a killer.

But when a second body turns up at the same location, Caren knows she’s dealing with someone calculated and ruthless. As the investigation deepens, she finds herself chasing a murderer who always seems one step ahead.

 

My Thoughts

The Paxton's Tower Murders is the first book in a new series by this author and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Having read most of the Inspector Drake series, I was happy to read a new series featuring a character who appeared in the Drake series. Caren was starting her new job in a new town and had barely settled in when she was called out on her first case. I would be quite nervous as well if I were in her shoes and hadn't even had an opportunity to check in, to figure out the layout of where I was working, or to even have met my team, so to say she was a bit uptight and nervous was understandable. 

 

Personally, I liked Caren better in this book than in the Inspector Drake series, but it's only because I got to learn more about her. Because the book is about her, reading her inner thoughts as she juggled motherhood and a demanding job was interesting, and I could relate to her struggles to provide a normal childhood for her son while being exhausted. The fact she was a bit cool to her colleagues did not bother me as she is the boss and understands the importance of a functional team. Considering the mystery surrounding her predecessor, her more distant behaviour was understandable, but she definitely opened up as the book progressed. She was determined, fair, and was able to see the strengths and weaknesses in her team members and use them appropriately. My only question mark with regards to Caren is her behaviour towards her underlings and it is something to which I rolled my eyes constantly: a 'please' and 'thank you' would not be remiss once in a while, and if you want a cup of coffee, get off your tuff and go make it yourself. In many offices, the way that was demanded would land you in a behaviour, aka manners and DEI training, course. To me, that speaks of a lack of confidence in yourself to be a leader; there's a way to do without being a jerk.

 

The plot itself had many twists and turns and was quite interesting. The murder investigation itself was done in such a way as to introduce people who lived in the community, people we will probably see in future books, so I liked that a lot. There was also a secondary story woven through the narrative, that of Karen's husband who died in an accident a year ago. That one did not resolve itself in this book, but it definitely made me curious as to know what happened. The investigation did allow Caren to grow as a character and to connect better with her team, something I definitely enjoyed. While the ending was rushed, it was still satisfactory.

 

Verdict

The Paxton's Tower Murders was a strong start to a new series and I enjoyed both the character and the plot development. It is well written and I liked the descriptions of the Welsh landscape and some of the background information the author provided. And as a I mentioned above, while I enjoyed Caren's character development, there were some things that did not sit well with me with regards to how she treated her team so hopefully that is all part of her future character development and now displaying how a leader should behave towards one's team. All in all, the mystery and investigation were fun, and I will be reading the next book in this series. 

 

Review: Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane

Difficult Girls

by Veronica Bane

Release Date: July 8, 2025

2025 Delacorte Press

Ebook ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593903988

ASIN:  ‎ B0DJQBYC7F

Audiobook: B0DJWJJWCT

Genre: Fiction / YA / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

After the incident last year, Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention, a fresh start, a chance to run away from the many secrets she’s suddenly hiding. When fate pulls Greta into the orbit of Mercy Goodwin, star of the park’s most popular show, it feels like things are looking up. Beautiful and confident, Mercy dazzles audiences daily. And Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her at lunch the next day. 

Only, when the time comes, Mercy is a no-show—as she is every day after that. She just stops coming to work. Greta knows something is wrong. She can’t help thinking back to the night of the party. Did Mercy seem upset? Terrified, even? Could she be in trouble? It wouldn’t be the first time a talented young performer came to a sinister end at Hyper Kid. . . .

 

My Thoughts

Difficult Girls is one of those books where I enjoyed the second half of the book far more than I enjoyed the first half, and I will be honest, I almost DNF the book halfway through. I'm glad I did persevere though, as I was curious to know what happened to Mercy and how everything would tie together at the end. I do have to say however, that Greta is probably one of the most annoying FMC that I have come across in quite a while and is the main reason why I almost put this book aside.

 

This story is set in an amusement park and I always like a setting like this as there is so much scope for imagination and for something to go terribly wrong. The mystery itself was rather intriguing and I did enjoy how it unfolded and how the unsolved murder from the past tied into the present-day one. There were lots of twists and turns, even if some of them were quite predictable, and I liked how it all unfolded. Naturally, there were a lot of things that were coincidences and where you just had to accept that they happened even if they were not quite believable, but I chose to go with them and just enjoyed the ride. Yes, there was a general tendency to over-explain concepts and it could, at times, be repetitive, but the writing style was clear and it did flow very well.

 

Now we come to an area with which I had problems, the character development. First of all, I really did not like the main character, Greta. Sorry, but no wonder she got herself into so much trouble in the past as her judgment skills are so incredibly poor I just wanted to shake her through most of the book. Let me explain. So, here's this guy she met , no SAW, maybe twice, and she had already convinced herself how great he was, how perfect he was, how he would never treat anyone poorly like she had been treated in the past, how he was just so, so, so NICE, and he was going to be hers. And it just goes on and on. For a guy she said maybe three words to and maybe had seen twice.  And then there's this other guy who she judges harshly because someone has a nickname for him that she misinterprets, and it becomes so repetitive in her thoughts it's what almost made me DNF. Honestly, I've seen this technique used in writing in other books to use as red herrings and it simply does not work; in fact, it seems like a sloppy way of trying to throw off a reader and create an unreliable narrator. Because of this, there was not a lot of room left to develop any of the secondary characters which affects any empathy shown for their situations. The character development was a bit of a mess. It also created a situation where I was rolling my eyes every time Greta had any space for inner monologues. So juvenile!! 

 

Verdict

Difficult Girls actually had a strong mystery behind it so there was no need to create an unreliable narrator, one whose judgment skills were so poor it became cringeworthy. The clues were interesting and I enjoyed how the mystery unfolded as well as how it tied to the one from the past, and it was believable. The character development was lacking however, and the FMC was in dire need of help. I don't mind flawed and vulnerable characters at all, but she was silly. Did she redeem herself in the last quarter of the book? Yes, a bit, as she realized she was putting her own wishes into people, but it was not enough to really make her likable. With that being said though, I would read another book by this author as I thought the mystery was strong and I did like some of the other characters.  

 

Review: House of Ash and Bone by Joel A. Sutherland

House of Ash and Bone

by Joel A. Sutherland

Release Date: July 1st, 2025 (First published September 2023)

2025 Tundra Books

Softcover ARC; 344 Pages

ISBN: 978-1774881002

ASIN: B0BP6P5VKY

Audiobook: B0BPMZSPX6

Genre: Fiction / YA / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher 

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Seventeen-year-old Josephine Jagger is a talented writer with special abilities she doesn't fully understand. Over the years she has developed methods to cope with the voices she hears in her head, but the old house her family has inherited in Vermont makes Josephine question what's real and what's not more than anything she's ever encountered before. It's filled with shadows, and whispers, and the unshakable feeling of being watched. Josephine then catches her first glimpse of a shadowy woman with long hair, pale skin, and impossibly wide smile and hollow pits for eyes. Her name is Dorcas, the ghost of a witch who died three hundred years ago. She has summoned the family to Vermont to ensnare them — then consume them — in order to rise from the grave and live again . . .

 

My Thoughts

House of Ash and Bone was an entertaining read, but I think it really misses the mark when it comes to horror as well as intentions. There were quite a few themes running through it, ones that were rather interesting, but when you have too many of them, none of them get explored into any depth so the overall story seems rather superficial. I also really wished that Josephine didn't have any 'magical' powers as I think it would have made this much more compelling as it wouldn't have relied so much on her abilities and it would have been a spookier setting for her and her family. Relying on 'magic' kind of downplays the horror element for me.

 

So let's talk about Josephine. How do you like the reference to Little Women, something I think was done on purpose. I think this author is a fan so I kind of like that idea. Maybe someone should write a horror novel based on those women, but I digress.  I rather liked Josephine as a main character. She was determined, smart, sincere, and loyal to her sisters.  Because of her ability to hear the thoughts of others and see things when she is dreaming, she is the only one to realize something was not right in the house. The pantry is always stocked with food, their personal bedrooms are stocked with everything they personally desire, and all their needs are met without them remembering a thing about how it happened, except for Jo. Josephine is the clearest character as the other ones seemed to move in a more dreamlike state, something that was done deliberately to show the reader something clearly was wrong. While I didn't necessarily mind the way this was done, it did make character development for the rest of the characters to be rather difficult and honestly, I couldn't tell you their names if my life depended on it at this point.

 

The story itself is well-paced and the haunting atmosphere is definitely there in the setting as you have this old decrepit house with a forest that has a reputation for being haunted surrounding it. There are ghostly apparitions and things that go bump in the night. The family constantly forgets what they were doing and why. So, all the elements are definitely there. However, the execution felt stilted and while there were some nice twists and turns, something else would destroy the tension that was being built up, either some dialogue that didn't quite match what was happening or something else. In fact, the dialogue pulled me out of the story a few times and I had to re-immerse myself into it to get a feel for the haunting atmosphere again and again. I do think the author likes the classics as well as fairy tales though, as I was definitely getting vibes of Hansel and Gretel from this book. In fact, lots of Grimm's fairy tale references were peppered throughout the book and I had fun looking for them.

 

Verdict

House of Ash and Bone was a story that kept me entertained even if there were issues with execution and character development. I've already mentioned that I liked the main character, but I did think her behaviour was inconsistent for a seventeen-year-old girl and it didn't help that the character development for the other characters was almost non-existent. The twists and turns were fun, if predictable, but I have to say though, that I really liked that ending as it was the highlight of the book for me.  If you like stories set in eerie locales with an atmosphere, then I suggest giving this one a go. 

 

 

Review: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

Death at the White Hart

by Chris Chibnall

Release Date: June 10, 2025

2025 Pamela Dorman Books

Hardcover ARC; 340 Pages

ISBN: 978-1593831571

ASIN: B0D3C3JDMT

Audiobook: B0DJH8VWLT

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Nothing keeps a village together like secrets.

A man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, with a stag’s antler’s on his head. The gruesome scene stuns the town, especially when they learn that it is Jim Tiernan, owner of the White Hart pub, who has been found murdered. Is it a personal vendetta, or something more macabre? Tierney’s pub is at the center of village life and he knew everyone’s secrets.

Detective Nicola Bridge grew up in Fleetcombe, and has been craving a juicy case ever since she moved back from the big city. DC Harry Ward is ten years younger, and their partnership is somehow stronger, and more satisfying even than her marriage. Together, they are determined to crack the storybook façade to find out just what the people of Fleetcombe have to hide.

 

My Thoughts

Death at the White Hart definitely had a lot going for it with an intriguing mystery, interesting and quirky characters, a setting that was picturesque, and it was fairly easy to read. I don't typically read something based off recommendations of 'he wrote this...' and 'she penned this...', but fell into this trap just by that one word 'Broadchurch'. I should really know better as I think it set my expectations a bit too high. So, while all the elements of a really good story were there, the execution did not work for me.

 

In a mystery like this, I usually tend to prefer the investigative side of the narrative so while I had my quibbles with Nicola and crew, I did find this part more interesting. Nicola had some personal issues to deal with as she negotiated the case and I liked her first officer, even if his theories got a bit wild and funny. Seeing his enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air and as he worked hard to impress Nicola, and she took the time to push him back to facts and figures, focusing on the reality of the investigation and away from the fantastical, something which could be easy to do if one were not careful. It was a good way to introduce the reader to local legends and I do enjoy this kind of thing. I didn't particularly like Nicola at the beginning of the book, but she did grow on me as the story unfolded. However, I will say this over and over again, stop using personal issues to excuse bad behaviour on the job. Having issues at home does not give one license to treat your subordinates like s&**. 

 

But while I did enjoy the dialogue and the back-and-forth between the characters, I don't think the multiple POV worked very well in this book as it gave too much information away to the reader. I don't know about other readers, but I pretty much figured out the culprit within the first POV chapter and I had to grind my teeth through some of these other similar chapters that felt like filler; when a reader is led along by the nose like a good little puppy to the water bowl with all the answers in it, more than once in case you missed it the first time, you know you have a problem. Let us figure it out ourselves. Don't tell us, but show us through your writing and dialogue what happened.  

 

Verdict

Death at the White Hart had some positive elements to the story and I definitely like the setting. However, I did think the multiple POV destroyed the tension of the story and gave away too much information, to the point where it was easy to figure out the culprit. While it was an okay read, it was kind of tropey and relied a lot on misunderstanding to proper the story forward, including many repetitive actions.  Overall, this was an average murder mystery.