Read in 2026: 20, 21

Next Door

Blake Pierce

 

Sisters Chloe and Danielle are only ten when they witness their mother’s deadly fall down the stairs in their home – presumably at the hands of their father, who goes to jail for it.

Almost 20 years later, Chloe returns to live in their hometown, looking forward to getting married and her career with the FBI off the ground.

Meeting Danielle is part of that return, but unlike Chloe, her sister has been leading a troubled life, never settling with a job or partner for long, mental health problems and past drug abuse.

 

A body is found and the circumstances of the case bring up the old mystery of the death of the sisters’ mother.

Chloe practically works on the new and the old case at the same time while trying to hold things together with her fiancé and planning the wedding.

It doesn’t help that Danielle becomes the main suspect and does not trust her sister enough to reveal what has been happening, making Chloe find the vital clues almost too late…

 

But of course, it being the first book in a series with Chloe Fine at the centre, the reader can be certain to see the heroine solve both the current case and the mystery of who was responsible for their mother’s death, and why.

 

The story was gripping enough, and the characters were well portrayed. I just couldn’t really relate to either of the sisters to the point of caring about them, but I liked Chloe’s boss and his dealing with her and the circumstances.

This first book sets the stage for more, opening threads in both Chloe’s personal and professional lives. But while I found it an entertaining read, I am not going to buy the next books in the series.

 

The author was unknown to me, or so I thought. Turns out I have read one previous book by her, back in 2021. More about her and her work is here.

The Honeymoon Homicide

J. R. & Susan Mathis

Unlike most other free ebooks from Amazon’s Kindle store, this one wasn’t the 1^st in a series. Instead, it is well into a series about a Catholic priest (Tom) and his wife (yes, wife! – Helen) who solve crimes together.

A mutlitude of references to earlier books is made throughout this one, but I didn’t find it hard to follow the storyline without having read any of them.

 

The case: A well-loved deacon at a local church is found stabbed in the snow close to the church where he served. Nobody can think of any personal motive, so the first conclusion is a mugging gone wrong.

But then blood stains and a female hair are found in the sacristy, and it becomes clear that the victim wasn’t stabbed where he was found, and definitely not mugged, but sedated to the point of inability to defend himself…

 

Helen is the local Police Chief, and Tom the local priest. Through exceptional circumstances, it is possible for them to be a legally married couple in spite of his vocation. She has a no-nonsense approach to police work while he often provides a different, more personal angle and can reach suspects on a level that is closed to her.

Combining their efforts they set about solving this mystery, and while at first it seems that each clue leads to a dead end and each question answered opens up many more puzzles, of course in the end they find out what happened, and justice is served.

 

For a change – compared to other detective stories – the couple never are in danger of becoming the next victims of the murderer. We meet their families, colleagues and other local characters, which nicely fills in the background.

Their relationship with each other is vital to solving the mystery, and although they are very much in love, there are also situations where they have to work to overcome differences.

 

It made for a different read from most other crime mystery series I have been reading (or at least started), but sometimes the religious angle is just a bit too prominent for my personal liking. Still, it is part of the story, of the main characters and their lives.

I guessed at part of the solution relatively early on, but there were still a few twists and turns to surprise me.

 

The authors – completely unknown to me until now – are husband and wife in real life (but the husband is not and has never been a priest, and the wife not in Law Enforcement). Their website is here.

I imagine that the series about Father Tom and Chief Helen appeals to many readers, mostly in the US.