My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

Long Gone ⭐⭐⭐ — Too Many Cops, Too Many Secrets, Not Enough Breathing Room Book: Long Gone Author: Joanna Schaffhausen Series: Detective Annalisa Vega #2 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Murder (multiple) Police corruption Strangulation Domestic violence Sexual assault (past, discussed) Drug use Threats and stalking Framing / false accusations Family trauma 🚨 SPOILER WARNING This review contains full spoilers , including the killer reveal(s) and the ending . If you haven’t read the book and want to go in blind, this is your exit ramp. 🏃‍♀️💨 🧠 Quick Take I really wanted to love this one. After how strong Gone for Good was, I went into Long Gone excited for another dark, twisty, emotionally loaded case. And honestly? It starts strong . The premise is great. The stakes are personal. The corruption angle is compelling. But then… the character list explodes like a clown car at a police convention. 🚓🤡 By the end, I felt...

Gone for Good ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ — A Body-Count Bonanza That Had Me Side-Eyeing Everyone Book: Gone for Good Author: Joanna Schaffhausen Series: Detective Annalisa Vega #1 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5 out of 5) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Before we dive in, here’s your heads-up list: Serial murder Strangulation / suffocation Stalking Sexual assault (past, discussed) Domestic violence Childhood trauma Police corruption Serious illness (Parkinson’s) Graphic crime scenes Family betrayal 🚨 Spoiler Warning From here on out, I’m spilling everything . Killer revealed. Ending discussed. Family secrets exposed. If you haven’t read it yet and care about surprises, turn back now. Seriously. I mean it. 👀➡️🚪 🕵️‍♀️ What This Book Is About (Spoiler-Free Vibes) This is one of those books where you think you’re settling in for a standard crime procedural… and then the author gleefully kicks the chair out from under you. Gone for Good follows Detective Annalisa Vega as a long-...

📺📚 The Book of Luke by Lovell Holder — 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reality TV is already unhinged. Now imagine it mixed with queer trauma , political scandal , Greek tragedy , and English major pretension — and you’ve got The Book of Luke . I wasn’t sure what I was walking into, but this book ended up being way more fun and emotionally sharp than expected. It captures the cutthroat, backstabbing, alliance-breaking chaos of reality competition shows perfectly , while also asking: What happens when the worst thing you’ve ever done is preserved forever on camera? ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Infidelity & marital betrayal Public shaming / media harassment Political sex scandals Custody battles Sex tapes & non-consensual filming Emotional manipulation Homophobia & transphobia Sexual content Physical injury Death (discussed, not graphically depicted) 🚨 Spoiler Warning This review includes a FULL, COMPLETE, no-holds-barred plot summary , including the ending. If you want to go in blind, tu...

🔥 Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson — 3⭐ out of 5⭐ | Murder, Rosaries & Bad Decisions in the Big Easy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Serial murder Strangulation Sex workers as victims Religious extremism Gaslighting Sexual abuse (off-page, discussed) Suicide Stalking & home invasion Violence against women 🚨 Spoiler Warning This review contains FULL SPOILERS , including the killer’s identity and the ending. If you’re spoiler-averse, turn back now. If not—welcome to the swamp. 🐊😈 📚 Book Overview Hot Blooded is the first book in Lisa Jackson’s New Orleans suspense series, originally published in 2001 . It blends serial killer thriller , romantic suspense , and true-crime vibes , all set against the sultry, chaotic backdrop of New Orleans . And listen—this book does not ease you in gently. 🔪 Opening Hook: Murder, Midnight, and a Creepy Caller The book kicks off fast with a prostitute strangled in a French Quarter hotel room . ...

The Fisherman by John Langan — ⭐ 1.5 Stars (aka: What Did I Just Read???) Before we even begin: uncanny coincidences alert 🚨 My father-in-law worked at IBM . My husband studied at University of Heidelberg . My mother-in-law died of breast cancer . ALL of that shows up in this book. So yes, I really wanted to like this. The universe practically dared me to. Reader, I did not like it. 😵‍💫 Quick Take Weird? Yes. Scary? Sometimes. Long-winded to the point of rage-skimming? ABSOLUTELY. This book started strong, then disappeared up its own folklore spiral and never came back . ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Graphic violence Suicide & suicidal ideation Child death Cancer Sexual content Body horror Substance use Mental illness Racism Animal death Cosmic horror / existential dread 📚 What This Book Is About (Non-Spoiler Setup) The Fisherman by John Langan is a literary cosmic horror novel set in upstate New York. At its core, it’s about grie...

⭐⭐⭐ Things Become Other Things — A Beautiful, Meditative Walk… That Eventually Lost Me Author: Craig Mod Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Travel Writing Published: 2025 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5) ⚠️ TRIGGER WARNINGS Grief & murder (off-page, past event) Adoption & identity trauma Parental death Emotional detachment Loneliness Existential reflection 🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨 This review contains FULL SPOILERS , including the ending . Proceed accordingly. 🛑 📚 What This Book Is About (SEO-friendly overview) Things Become Other Things is a walking memoir documenting Craig Mod’s month-long, solo trek across Japan’s Kii Peninsula in May 2021. Framed as a long, overdue letter to Bryan , Mod’s childhood best friend who was murdered at seventeen, the book blends travel writing , grief processing , and philosophical reflection as Mod walks 20–40 kilometers a day along ancient pilgrimage routes. At its core, this is a book about movement as therapy , plac...