Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" series

Fiction

Ashley Winstead’s “The Future Saints” Hits an Emotional High Note

The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead is an ambitious novel, expansive in its concerns: sisterhood and family, the highs and lows of the music industry and the long-term consequences of mental illness and addiction. The novel is at its strongest in its close attention to daily interactions—among the band members…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesJanuary 22, 2026

Fiction Fiction - Featured

Privileged Life Starts to Fray for Rich Widows of Savannah Valley

At first blush, Mitzi Perdue’s Rich Widows of Savannah Valley (Mark Victor Hansen Library) appears to be a tale reminiscent of The Golden Girls, albeit far wealthier girls to be sure. Four women, whose ages span four decades, become fast friends over such gastronomies as bluefin tuna, organic zebra tomatoes,…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesSeptember 27, 2022

Fiction Thrillers Thrillers - Featured

The Babysitter is Out for Blood in New Joyce Carol Oates Thriller

Why can Joyce Carol Oates give us Babysitter — a psychological nail-biter — at a time when some readers are looking to escape to a calmer, friendlier world these days? Because she’s Joyce Carol Oates, that’s why. Highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning author of nearly sixty novels, as well as a…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesAugust 22, 2022

Fiction Thrillers Thrillers - Featured

The Beauty in Ms. White Redefines the Term Neighborhood Watch

Perhaps, given this is a short and concise 135-page novella. Yet, stopping there would deprive readers of a sneak peek into the psychotic world of Carlos Castillo, a young department store manager by day and the neighbor from hell by night. Since he squandered the ten thousand dollars his parents…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesJune 10, 2022

Nonfiction Nonfiction - Featured

Passion and Pain Bring “Love’s Journey Home”

Someone once told me we have just one truly passionate love in our lives. Sometimes it’s our lifelong partner, but not always. In her memoir, Love’s Journey Home (Atmosphere Press), Gabi Coatsworth puts that theory to the test and ultimately validates it. In many ways, I don’t think Coatsworth’s story…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesMay 9, 2022

Book Club Network Fiction Fiction - Featured

A Powerful Tale of Friendship Amid Danger in the Pre-Civil War South

“Powerful, unforgettable, and at points verges on greatness.” — Bruce Bennett, Wells College “This compelling page-turner is one that readers of all ages will enjoy.” — P.J. McGhee —∞— Some novels entertain, others educate. At a time when books are being banned, we are fortunate that the newly-published Blue-Eyed Slave…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesFebruary 22, 2022

Fiction Thrillers Thrillers - Featured

Cold Brew Corpse is De-Lush-ious

Let me just put it out there. I don’t drink coffee, and I hadn’t a clue what cold brew was when I started reading Cold Brew Corpse (Crooked Lane Books) by Tara Lush. Given the title, I assumed tainted coffee was killing people in some cozy town. If so, as…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesJanuary 6, 2022

Fiction Young Adult

“Shine Until Tomorrow” Tells of a Girl’s Transformative Journey Through the Summer of Love

What do you get when you combine The Wizard of Oz with Back to the Future? You get a delightfully nostalgic romp in Shine Until Tomorrow (Rare Bird Books) by Carla Malden. Through the eyes of Tamara Caldwell, a.k.a. Mari, and the lens of her vintage Leica camera, we behold…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesMay 13, 2021

Fiction Thrillers Thrillers - Featured

J.T. Ellison Invites You to a Deadly Destination Wedding in “Her Dark Lies”

“A delicious gothic, sumptuously told.” — Laura Benedict, author of The Stanger Inside —∞— "Ellison is a master of the complex and compelling tale and here she is at the top of her game." — Patti Callahan, NYT bestselling author —∞— Once again, in her newest thriller, Her Dark Lies…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesMarch 9, 2021

Author Spotlight Fiction

Dark, Fabulist Tale “Every Bone A Prayer” Summons Our Imaginations

“Searing and soothing, honest and elusive, Every Bone a Prayer is a gift. It’s the pure truth, told slant.” — Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January “Haunting and healing ... a powerful debut that will leave its mark on readers’ hearts.” — Kim Michele Richardson, author of The Book…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesAugust 4, 2020

Author Spotlight Thrillers

For a Thrill Ride, Welcome Aboard “The Last Flight”

Spoiler alert! The Last Flight (Sourcebooks Landmark) by Julie Clark is about a scary plane crash. Well, not really a spoiler, as the book’s cover and title imply at least that much. But a plane crash isn’t half of what will keep you up at night turning the pages of…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesJune 2, 2020

Thrillers

A Thriller Turned Upside Down in “Sister Dear”

The sibling rivalry story in Sister Dear (Mira) by Hannah Mary McKinnon is as old as Cain and Abel. The difference is that McKinnon throws a howitzer into the plot, turning this contemporary thriller unexpectedly inside out and upside down. Its title and cover sub-text, “She’d kill to be her,”…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesMay 26, 2020

Author Spotlight Fiction

Kelly Rimmer on the Role of Women’s Issues in “Truths I Never Told You”

No matter what your age, you’ll have an emotional reaction to Truths I Never Told You (Graydon House) by Kelly Rimmer. This stirring story spans five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s, addressing a myriad of common family and societal issues that have touched most of us at one…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesApril 14, 2020

Author Spotlight Fiction

Stacey Halls: How a Visit to an 1700s Orphanage Inspired “The Lost Orphan”

The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls (Mira), which takes place in 1747, could just as easily been titled “A Tale of Two Mothers,” with a respectful nod to Charles Dickens’ novel set similarly in Georgian London three decades later. Clearly, in both stories, “It was the best of times, it…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesApril 7, 2020

Book Club Network Thrillers

“Wife After Wife” Proves History Repeats Itself

As I read Olivia Hayfield’s debut novel, Wife After Wife (Berkley), about a serial philanderer, I kept yelling, “Off with his … head.” As you read it, the story will seem predictable if you’re familiar with the history and legend of King Henry VIII. Even though you may think you’ve…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesFebruary 6, 2020

Book Club Network Thrillers

Good Girls Lie, Cheat and Murder … Or Do They?

J.T. Ellison’s new psychological thriller Good Girls Lie (Mira) is a whopper of a dark tale, a nail-biter bound to keep you reading beyond the midnight hour. Fair warning: Before you dive in, grab your comfiest pillow and blanket and prepare to enter the paradoxical world of The Goode School.…

Valerie Taylor, author of the "Venus Bixby Mystery" seriesDecember 16, 2019