Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

MMGM Review: The Sherlock Society: Art Attacky by James Ponti

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The Sherlock Society: Art Attack by James Ponti

The Sherlock Society: Art Attack
James Ponti
Publisher
Published September 8, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sherlock Society: Art Attack

The Sherlock Society goes undercover in the Miami street art scene to find an anonymous graffiti artist in this third book in the hilarious, New York Times bestselling Sherlock Society middle grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti!

The Sherlock Society’s latest case is tracking down stealth graffiti artist Funky Munky—well-known for their artistic statements calling out local politicians—on behalf of a developer who wants them to create a mural for a new hotel. Their investigation leads Alex, Zoe, Lina, and Yadi deep into the very colorful south Florida art scene.

But finding someone who doesn’t want to be found is challenging, and it doesn’t help that Miami Art Week is coming up, bringing lots of attention—and lots of new artists—to the area. The Sherlock Society’s best bet is an elaborate sting operation, which involves them picking up spray cans themselves. Can they trap their quarry without exposing themselves?

My Review

The investigation team is back in this third installment in The Sherlock Society series. I like that this book revolves around the art scene and actually doesn’t involve investigating any murders for a change. Ha! Ponti still delivers a wild mystery that requires the whole team to unravel.

I think I started reading this series before checking out City Spies. I like both, but this series is probably my favorite. Both have a team of kids handling some sort of task or investigation with adult supervision. There’s a great balance between the adult and child characters. The kids do some of the real heavy lifting plot-wise, but adults are on hand to offer support or rein them in if they get overeager.

This is a great series for young mystery readers, especially those at the younger end of the middle grade market. Each book can be read as a standalone, though a few minor plot threads make reading them in order rewarding.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Characters encounter graffiti artists who sometimes tag buildings without permission. The group investigates a series of arson crimes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru

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My Killer Family Reunion
Dinesh Thiru
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published August 11, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About My Killer Family Reunion

Knives Out meets Never Have I Ever in this hilarious and twisty young adult mystery-comedy about an Indian American teen whose family reunion at a lavish manor falls into chaos after her grandma is attacked.

Nothings brings family together like attempted murder.

There are three things Jayshree Devi can count on happening at her annual family 1) her cousins will forget she exists, 2) her aunts will try to set her up, and 3) her uncles will get into a fight. What she doesn’t expect? An accident that lands her grandmother in a coma, throwing the family—and their matriarch’s sizeable fortune—into chaos.

When Jay discovers Grand Mom’s “accident” might not have been so accidental after all, she’ll have to dig through decades of secrets to find the truth. With the help of her (annoyingly perky) cousins and one of their (annoyingly hot) friends, Jay finds herself knee-deep in a mystery that’s even more tangled than her family tree.

But the closer Jay gets to answers, the closer she gets to finding her place amongst the relatives who once felt so distant. With Grand Mom’s life and fortune hanging in the balance, can Jay save her family and maybe hook up with a hottie while she’s at it?

My Review

I like that this story is a mystery set on finding the person trying to kill someone before the would-be-murderer actually succeeds. Not only did it keep the tension in the story high (because Grand Mom’s life remained in danger), it also kept the mood a bit lighter. It fed into the high drama and dark humor of Jay’s family, too.

The book has a large cast of characters. I’m not sure I was keeping some of the peripheral cousins or aunts and uncles straight in my head, but for the most part, it didn’t seem to matter. There’s a helpful graphic showing the family tree in the front of the book, too. That helps with keeping all the connections sorted correctly.

The balance between the mystery and romance elements is nicely done here. The romance is more of a minor plot thread. Sometimes several scenes pass without Jay really thinking about Hernando, but when the two cross paths, there’s loads of blushing and awkward flirting to enjoy. I found that to be a lot of fun.

The tension ratchets up a lot in the last few chapters of the book. I’d started to wonder if Jay and her cousins were imagining things. Just then, the story started to get really wild.

All in all, this is a really upbeat, fun summer mystery about a big family with a dark sense of humor and lots of secrets. I’m adding the author’s debut novel to my reading list, and I’ll be on the lookout for his next book, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
List.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Jay’s dad and some of her other family members encourage her to pray and practice Hinduism. Jay at first rejects the idea, but later realizes that she’s made some unfair assumption about her family’s faith practice.

Violent Content
Atruck nearly runs over a woman, leaving her injured and in the hospital. A man slaps a woman in front of the whole family. This is treated as a domestic violence incident and the famiy supports the woman and the couple’s children. Someone tries to arrange for a person to be treated with antibiotics they’re allergic to. Someone manipulates and tries to control other family members. Someone uses a gun to threaten and hit another person. Drivers use vehicles to ram one another. A trio kidnaps someone, tying them up.

Someone makes homophobic comments. Other characters condemn the behavior. The family members all make dark jokes about killing Grand Mom.

Drug Content
References to teen drinking.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Ross

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The Escape Game
Marissa Meyer and Tamara Ross
Publisher
Published April 7, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Escape Game

It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.

Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.

Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show’s trickiest escape rooms. There’s Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.

But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.

When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of who killed Alicia Angelos?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride, filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.

My Review

I’ve read several novels that tried to capture the sense of reality TV. This one really captures the production side of the process. The characters face situations manipulated by producers or watch edited recordings of themselves that spin a specific narrative.

The obstacles inside and outside the escape rooms create a bond between Sierra, Carter, Beck, and Adi. They start off as reluctant allies, but the story shows them grow together into a cohesive team. Each of them narrates different scenes, revealing secrets and showing how they view the other players.

The authors did a great job translating the escape room experience into text. Doing an escape room is such an immersive experience. Before reading this book, I wasn’t sure how it would translate to the page, but I think it really works. I also loved the way the escape room mechanics were woven together with the clues to solve the murder mystery.

I can definitely see reality TV fans and murder mystery fans alike devouring this book. It was a really fun read packed with great characters and unforgettable moments.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to a sexual relationship between an adult and a teenager. (Not shown on scene.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to murder. Someone leaves a bovine heart in a refrigerator with a threatening note. Someone traps characters in a dangerous situation. Characters discover the dead bodies of murder victims.

Drug Content
Someone spikes a teen girl’s drink, making her appear drunk. Poisoned wine leaves another character dead.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Killing Sadie by Rachel Peterson

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Killing Sadie
Rachel Peterson
Simon Pulse
Published August 4 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Killing Sadie

Perfect for fans of How to Survive Your Murder and Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets, this young adult thriller unspools the truth behind a tragic murder through multiple unreliable narrators who all have secrets to keep.

Here’s what we do know: there was another infamous barn party at the McClain family farm last night, and things went horribly wrong. By the end of the night, there were two dead bodies in the old barn: seventeen-year-old Sadie Cooper and her killer, Mason Vreeland. The murder was heartbreakingly witnessed by Sadie’s twin sister, Jayne, and Sadie died in her arms. Mason was killed by Sadie’s boyfriend, Ben, in an attempt to save Sadie.

Aside from figuring out Mason’s motive, it should be an open and shut case.

But it’s not.

The story unfolds just after the murders, and Jayne, Ben, and Sadie’s best friend, Liz, are telling the cops what transpired at the party and the events leading up to it. But little details don’t match. And those little details start to add up to big discrepancies. But who’s lying, and why?

The shocking truth is revealed in the third act, when the POV shifts to victim Sadie herself, in the days leading up to the party. Witness exactly what happened—and see if you can piece it all together. Because poor Sadie totally missed what was right in front of her.

My Review

I really enjoyed the format of this book. The first two acts are written by characters who are being interviewed by police following the deaths of two of their classmates. They each have secrets and things they’d rather not bring up with law enforcement, which may or may not impact the case.

The storytelling puts the reader very much in the role of detective. We read the testimony of each character as they answer questions and remember key events. As each chapter unfolds, we piece more and more of the story together, deciding whom to trust and zeroing in on who’s telling the biggest lies.

The final act of the book reverses course and reveals the perspective of a murdered girl. She recalls details leading up to the party and her final moments, giving readers a chance to test out their theories about what happened against her description of events.

I found this book nearly impossible to put down. I wasn’t particularly rooting for any of the main characters, but I quickly invested in learning what happened to Sadie and who contributed to her death. The author doesn’t waste any words in the book, keeping the story moving quickly. The whole book is just about 300 pages, but it feels a lot shorter. I had a lot of fun reading this one. It’s worth checking out if you enjoy young adult mysteries.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex.

Spiritual Content
Vague references to prayer.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of murder.

Drug Content
Descriptions of teen drinking at parties and with permission of parents.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: City Spies: Forbidden City by James Ponti

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , , , , ,

City Spies: Forbidden City (City Spies #3)
James Ponti
Aladdin
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Forbidden City

In this third “thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews) installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls.

After taking down a mole within their organization, the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t. The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary, and the City Spies plan to keep an eye on his son by sending Paris to the chess prodigy’s tournaments in Moscow and Beijing.

Meanwhile, Sydney’s embedded as a junior reporter for a teen lifestyle site as she follows the daughter of a British billionaire on tour with the biggest act on her father’s music label to uncover what links both the band and the billionaire have to a recent threat from an old Soviet missile base.

From a daring break-in at one of London’s most exclusive homes to a dangerous undercover mission to a desperate search and rescue operation on the streets of Beijing, the City Spies have their work cut out for them on their most dangerous mission yet.

My Review

This series has really hit a good stride. This installment centers around Paris and Sydney, though the other characters play important roles, too. I especially loved the scenes with Kat in them.

The series isn’t always perfectly believable, but that doesn’t detract from the fun. I love that the approach is that kid spies would have access to people and places and trigger less suspicion than adult operatives. It’s a really fun idea, and the author uses that in some clever ways.

The books have a large cast of characters, but I like that each mission features different ones. That kind of changes things up a bit. They also have very unique roles within the team, making them best suited to certain situations. That’s been a lot of fun.

The story also takes readers to some interesting places. In this book, readers visit both Russia and China for chess tournaments. The chess component was interesting —I enjoyed learning how moves are recorded and getting some tidbits about different playing strategies.

I feel like I read this one really fast. The pacing made the story impossible to put down at some points. And the characters are so engaging. I’m a huge fan of the series. Definitely going to read more.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Adults with nefarious intentions chase kids. Agents of a shadowy group steal nuclear warheads.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Augusta Pine Does Not Exist by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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Augusta Pine Does Not Exist
Emily Lloyd-Jones
Balzer + Bray
Published July 7, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Augusta Pine Does Not Exist

Combining the suspense of a thriller, the intrigue of spy fiction, and the emotional resonance of a confessional narrative, this is gripping, wholly original novel about a teen secret operative who must outwit a band of murderous cyberterrorists.

I was fifteen when I became a murderer.

After a hack gone tragically wrong, a teen girl is given an ultimatum: accept a harsh prison sentence or leave her old life behind and use her talents in the service of a shady government agency.

Three years later, the newly-named Augusta Pine has become a skilled wraith, one of the Identity Security Division’s secret operatives. She has no home, no family, and her only friends are her coolly professional handler and a snarky AI spybot. So when she is sent to Portland for an assignment, she seizes the chance to catch a glimpse of her beloved grandmother and rents the apartment next door.

What begins as nostalgic stalking turns into a fight for survival when a group of cyberterrorists hacks the building and imprisons the residents. Augusta doesn’t know exactly what they want, but she does know they are ready to murder for it. With her quick wits, tech savvy – and help from an intriguing fellow hostage – Augusta must race against the clock to stay one step ahead of the killers.

Unfolding through a suspenseful narrative interspersed with case-file excerpts, this is a pulse-pounding novel about identity, connection, and justice.

My Review

This book kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Wow.

Okay, so the only other book that I’ve read by Emily Lloyd-Jones is The Wild Huntress, which I really enjoyed, and which is a lush fantasy. So it’s very different than this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect in picking this one up, except that I liked the other book I’d read and wanted to see how she handled a contemporary suspense/thriller novel.

Turns out… I quite like both!

This one has a little bit of a Die Hard flavor, but with a teen protagonist more likely to hack her way through the enemy’s defenses on a computer rather than with a machine gun. But the same sort of constant improvisation and high stakes run through this story as the other.

Fans of the Stars and Smoke series by Marie Lu who want more suspense with the romance dialed way back will really enjoy this fast-paced, compulsively readable novel.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
One brief kiss.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to a catastrophic car accident. References to hostage situations and the threat of murder. One-on-one combat between characters.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.