Archive for March, 2026

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

A series of bad events lead army surgeon Maggie McCabe to lose her license, including her husband getting killed in the field and her coping with alcohol. She also recently lost her mother, who was a well known and respected surgeon in her own right. Now, she is struggling to help her sister pay the mortgage so that they don’t lose their childhood home. When an old friend offers her a job opportunity that seems too good to be true, Maggie can’t help but feel intrigued by the opportunity to perform surgery again. Once she is whisked away to an unknown location, however, things begin to seem very sketchy. She does perform the two surgeries for her clients, however, but is shocked when one patient disappears and the other appears to have a connection to her late husband. As she begins to fear for her safety she knows she must flee before it is too late. Can she survive this ordeal now that they no longer need her? Can she find out who is behind this secret operation? Is there a connection to her late husband? Is she being paranoid after her years of combat work?

Fans of Harlan Coben will enjoy this title as it keeps readers interested from the beginning. It is easy to sympathize with Maggie since she has been through so much and it feels like nothing will ever lighten up for her. Many people in her situation would find themselves saying yes to this proposal only to find themselves in this very scary situation where there is no way out. There are many side characters who are all written in a way that make it difficult to ascertain who is trustworthy and who is not. Maggie is definitely a character that could potentially come back in a future adventure since her story is long from resolved. Fans will be pleased with the ending and will undoubtedly want to see more from this character.

The House of Saphir by Marissa Meyer

Genre: Fantasy

Mallory and her sister have been trying their best to survive after their mother’s death, but unfortunately the magical gifts they inherited from her aren’t as lucrative as hers were. Mallory has the ability to see ghosts and her sister doesn’t even like talking about her gift, so they make due giving fake seances and tarot readings, and giving tours of the Saphir House to gullible tourists who are willing to buy anything. That is until Mallory gets caught by some police and must flee before getting arrested for fraud. Unbeknownst to her, one of the guests at her last house tour is actually the rightful heir to the Saphir Houses and lands and he ends up claiming she had permission to sneak onto his property to give these tours. In exchange, he wants Mallory and her sister to accompany him back to the country house in order to expel the ghost of Count Bastien, his murderous ancestor who supposedly murdered three of his wives before being killed himself. Since the ghost’s return, the ghost has been causing a lot of trouble which has led the house and vineyard to fall into disrepair as no one will work there. Mallory knows she needs to get out of the city before the police come looking for her again, but doesn’t believe she has the ability to banish a ghost. Meanwhile, she has become aware of some supernatural hunters who might be able to help for a price. Shortly after arriving at the country estate there is another brutal murder and she can’t help but feel like she knows exactly who the culprit is and it is not a ghost. Can she manage to help the current Count Bastien without revealing she is not as magical as her mother was? Will it be helpful that she can actually talk to the ghosts of the three wives that were murdered in the House Saphir houses that led to so many legends and myths to be spread about the family? Can they possibly break the curse that is holding the murdered ghosts in these ancestral houses? Will they be able to stop the murderer before more attacks occur?

This is another great story by Marissa Meyer. The retelling of Bluebeard is exciting, dramatic, and has many plot twists and turns that will keep readers intrigued. The characters are all really engaging too, especially the ghost Mallory meets at the House Saphir in town. The ending is full of surprises, but all the details make sense and feel satisfying. Readers of Meyer’s other series will enjoy this one as well. Recommended for fantasy readers.


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