Postcards From Jamie by Hilary Pugh

October 26, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Postcards From Jamie by Hilary Pugh
Publisher: Housemouse Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Can Ian and Lottie solve the puzzle of the postcards?

World famous concert pianist Felix Lansman has a collection of postcards sent to him anonymously. He is sure they are from the love of his life, Jamie McLeash. But Jamie disappeared six years ago – the night Felix’s father was murdered. Police failed to make any arrests and the case was closed. Was Jamie a suspect and if so, why is he sending the postcards? Felix wants Ian to find out.

The trail takes Ian all over Scotland and the more he discovers about Jamie the more he is convinced of his innocence. If he finds him, he could help him clear his name. But it soon becomes evident that Ian is not the only one looking for Jamie. He should report his findings to the police, but this could lead to the arrest of an innocent man.

Can he find the real murderer before the murderer finds Jamie?

Ian Skair has just returned home from a week away and is answering a few work related emails about new investigations that he’s been offered. Remembering a phone call from a friend in London prior to his holiday, he returns the call and is drawn into helping to look for a missing person. Can Ian solve this old crime and stop another injustice from happening?

I found this to be an enjoyable Scottish based PI novel, the second in a series and one I really enjoyed. I thought this author’s tone and style was chatty and enjoyable, very easy to pick up. While this is the second book in the series I absolutely feel like readers could easily start here and read it by itself having no previous understanding. The story and indeed even most of the characters stood well by themselves and there isn’t really much history to delve into.

While I do admit the mystery was a little slow to unfold, I enjoyed watching Ian slowly piece everything together. As a regular citizen and private investigator he doesn’t have a bunch of police resources – nor the huge numbers of other officers – on hand and he has to put the puzzle together in a far more normal and rudimentary way. I found this very interesting and quite eagerly turned the pages.

Finding this an easily readable story and a good and solid plot, this was a lovely book and one I really enjoyed. I’ll definitely be purchasing more books by this author. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams

October 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

It’s 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, refuses to tell her, and her grandmother Gladys is just as determined to keep the past buried—including the truth about why she fled Land’s End, Alabama, in 1953.

Unbeknownst to Tati, the family has been cursed with a mysterious malediction: the Dupree women will only ever give birth to daughters. With each daughter’s arrival, the course of her mother’s life is irrevocably changed. In 1917, Jubi’s attempt to pass for white ends abruptly when she gives birth to Ruby. In 1934, Ruby’s fierce desire to be loved changes the course of the family once again. And in 1980, a single night alters Nadia’s future forever.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree reveals how trauma, love, and hard-won resilience reverberate from one generation to the next. As Tati pieces together the truth about her family—and herself—she discovers that the Dupree women’s ultimate inheritance may not be the curse that has followed them for generations, but the strength that has carried them through.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree is an ambitious, beautifully written novel that traces a century of history, pain, and resilience across seven generations of Black women. Author Nikesha Elise Williams masterfully handles the structure, creating a fluid narrative that moves seamlessly from 1917 to the mid-1990s.

The novel starts with a strong hook: fourteen-year-old Tati’s quest to uncover her father’s identity. This initial suspense effectively drives the plot. Williams excels at defining a large cast and interweaving their stories, making the complex timeline easy to follow. Each Dupree woman’s history marked by difficult choices and survival, is genuinely interesting, illustrating how generational trauma and familial bonds tie their lives together. The Dupree women, bound by a mysterious legacy that ensures only daughters are born. The characters’ raw, heartbreaking lives are depicted with unflinching clarity.

The novel starts strong and has a good structure, but it does not reach its full potential. My main frustration, which affects the rating, is the secret at the heart of the story. The book builds a lot of suspense, but the ending feels disappointing. The uncovering of a long-hidden family truth does not have the impact that the first 300 pages promised. It is sad that the Dupree women lived such hard lives. Each woman has flaws, and there were times when I did not agree with their choices. I felt sorry for Tati because I understand wanting to protect your child. However, I think there was a better way for Nadia to tell Tati about her father. Nadia clearly has not dealt with her own pain and still feels hurt. I also did not understand why Evangeline treated Ruby poorly and refused to tell her about her mother.

While the book does a great job showing the relationships between the women, it doesn’t explore important themes like secrets and intergenerational trauma deeply. These themes are often stated but not fully examined, which left me wanting a stronger conclusion.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree has strong structure and well-developed characters, making it a good read for its focus on women’s strength across generations. However, the less than satisfying central mystery stops it from reaching the potential that its strong premise and beautiful writing promised.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins

October 22, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins
Publisher: G. P. Putman’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Carolina Garcia-Ramirez is a rising star in national politics, taking on the establishment with her progressive agenda. Tough, outspoken, and driven, the young congresswoman has ignited a new conversation in Boston about race, poverty, health care, and the environment. Now facing her second campaign, she finds herself not only fighting a tight primary with an old guard challenger but also contending with numerous death threats coming from hundreds of suspects.

When her chief of staff reaches out to Spenser for security and help finding the culprits of what he believes to be the most credible threats, Garcia-Ramirez is less than thrilled. Since her first grassroots run, she’s used to the antipathy and intimidation women of color often face when seeking power. To her, it’s all noise. But it turns out an FBI agent disagrees, warning Spenser that Garcia-Ramirez might be in real danger this time.

It doesn’t take long for Spenser to cross paths with an extremist group called The Minutemen, led by a wealthy Harvard grad named Bishop Graves. Although Graves is a social media sensation, pushing an agenda of white supremacy and toxic masculinity, he denies he’s behind the attacks. As the primary nears and threats become a deadly plot, it’s up to Spenser, Hawk, and a surprise trusted ally to ensure the congresswoman is safe. This is Spenser doing what he does best, living by a personal code and moral compass that can’t ever be broken.

Spenser is hired by political candidate Carolina Garcia-Ramirez’s team to keep her safe when some of her more colorful threatening letters appear to be getting out of hand. Bur Carolina isn’t keen for Spenser’s protection, and he quickly realizes that there are more than a few people who don’t want to see Carolina and her progressive views have any sort of success. Can Spenser keep up with everything being thrown at him?

Spenser is a long running series and while I feel some of the older style of this hard boiled detective series has stayed true to Robert Parker’s original script, I do feel that Ace Atkins has been able to realistically and sensitively added some far more modern elements into the story. The fact that this book blends those older and newer worlds so well together is a big part of the reason I enjoyed this so much.

On the one hand the plotline of “hard boiled detective protects mouthy politician” is a tried and true older style of storyline. And both Spenser and the author rise wonderfully to this occasion. But that would be over-simplifying the plot and story I feel. The current political climate is possibly more polarized than ever before and this story really highlights just how volatile this situation is. The extremes many people feel and are experiencing makes compelling reading to my mind – and the opinions that used to seem like hyperbole and caricatures really do ring as rather honest and current to my mind.

All this is rolled up very neatly into this book along with a healthy dose of snappy come backs and sarcasm which is par for the course with Spenser. But I do feel the author has managed to walk a very fine line between keeping much of the old Spenser novels and feeling alive while thoroughly modernizing it and keeping it current with today’s climate and experiences.

Readers who like a slightly more hard-boiled detective/PI story along with plenty of witty replies and banter between the characters should find this to be as good a read as I did. An enjoyable and well plotted book I shall happily read again in the future.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Protocol of Indifference – A Patient’s Memoir from a Post-Soviet Healthcare System by Yury Hrynko

October 21, 2026 By 1 Comment


The Protocol of Indifference – A Patient’s Memoir from a Post-Soviet Healthcare System by Yury Hrynko
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A bilateral tonsillectomy was supposed to be a step toward better health. Instead, Yury Hrynko woke up in intensive care unable to see, unable to speak, and fighting for every breath.

After regaining consciousness, he found himself facing a terrifying reality: unbearable pain, the sudden loss of his vision, the inability to communicate, and a desperate struggle to survive.

The Protocol of Indifference is a medical memoir about survival, resilience, and the human cost of traumatic complications after a medical procedure. Told through the voices of Yury and those closest to him—including his wife and parents—this book follows one family’s journey through a year of uncertainty, fear, determination, and hope.

Following complications that occurred during and after the procedure, Yury faced a cascade of life-changing consequences: a loss of vision that gradually returned over time, nerve damage, loss of his voice, severe neurological complications, and a dangerous infection that threatened his recovery. For months, he had to relearn basic abilities, including speaking, while adapting to a body and life that had suddenly changed.

Yet the greatest challenge was not only physical recovery—it was being heard when his condition was repeatedly underestimated.

From the frightening moments immediately after the procedure, to the days when his symptoms were dismissed, and finally to the doctor who recognized the seriousness of his condition and called for emergency help, this memoir presents a firsthand account of a patient’s struggle to survive, recover, and reclaim his life.

Set within a post-Soviet healthcare system, The Protocol of Indifference is not a story about blaming individuals. It is a story about human vulnerability, family support, resilience, and the importance of compassion in medicine.

Medical mistreatment is never acceptable.

I was flabbergasted by Mr. Hrynko’s experiences with the medical community both as a child when he had his adenoids and part of his tonsils removed without the use of any anesthesia as well as how he was treated as an adult after he had multiple infections of his remaining tonsils and was advised to have a tonsillectomy for health reasons. Untreated pain can be quite traumatic, especially when it’s this severe, and he shared his memories of these surgeries openly and in great detail.

Some of the most memorable portions of this book for me were the ones that explored how people who have disabilities, chronic illnesses, or other medical conditions can struggle to convince the doctors and nurses who are treating them to take their feedback seriously. This is unfortunately far more common than the general public may think it is, and it can cause long delays in treatment and diagnoses that aren’t always accurate. What made this particular case even worse is that the author’s physical difficulties with talking, eating, drinking fluids, and swallowing among a long list of other problems were caused by the same surgery that was supposed to cure him!

What ultimately encouraged me to give this a full five-star rating were the sections written by the author’s wife and parents. Family support is so important for people who are going through health issues, but not everyone necessarily thinks to ask the patient’s support system how they’re feeling during those moments. I loved learning how everyone worked together to make the best of a terrible situation, especially when it came to the soups they made and the daily visits they arranged. Little things like these can be so meaningful and life-saving, especially in a country where a hospital has such limited resources.

The Protocol of Indifference kept me perched on the edge of my seat from the first sentence to the last one. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Smart Phone by Josh Eber

October 20, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Smart Phone by Josh Eber
Publisher: Peter Goldberger
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A California Mystery Adventure

It started with a text —
a time, a place, then…

———————–

A mystery set in 2009 Los Angeles — when cell phones seemed innocent.

On his first trip to California, Jeffrey is getting the grand tour of Los Angeles from his cousin and a new friend.

Sun-kissed beaches. A mansion in Brentwood. Hollywood studios. Horseback adventures and moonlight swims. Limo rides. A secret cave in Malibu…

Until things go sideways.

And his new phone suddenly changes everything.

Blending danger, fun, and brain teasers, Smart Phone is a page-turner with a message more relevant today than ever — and one that lingers long past its final page.

Sometimes, right when you feel like a misfit, you meet a person or two who seem to make you feel like you fit in somewhere. That’s what happened to Jeffrey, Diana, and M. Two of them were new and awkward cousins, the other a goddess from the heavens, or at least a beautiful girl who smiles at you. Somehow it all worked out until Jeffrey’s phone started texting them.

This was a neat mix of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and AI technology. What a hoot. Some of the things that happened to the kids were things we’d all have thought were dreams when we were schoolkids.

Somehow, Josh Eber mixed adults, kids, mystery, technology, Cadillacs, and teenage crushes and made an interesting read that would keep anyone turning the pages.

I did think there were a few places that slowed down while the team tried to figure out the analytics of the source of all the clues, but it sure would not keep me from buying this book for any Young Adult or even pre-teen. This is truly a fun mystery, and yet it brings up some of the hurt many of us had to handle growing up. At the same time, it is also clean and nice. Hard to find today, and that makes it a good read in my mind.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Snow – Finding Paradise Below Zero by Hap Wilson

October 19, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Snow – Finding Paradise Below Zero by Hap Wilson
Publisher: Latitude 46
Genre: Non-Fiction, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Astilbe

Henry David Thoreau famously explains that “he went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,” a principle Wilson adopted when he spent a lifetime searching for answers while exploring Canada’s wilderness in all seasons. SNOW – Finding Paradise Below Zero, follows Wilson on his many escapades in the dead of winter, suffering frostbite, isolation, near-death experiences, surviving six months enduring a remote winter with two infants in diapers, and as a park warden in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. This is a deeper look into the evolution of camping gear and techniques, but more importantly, how to overcome adversity to live comfortably in the wilds of winter, to find paradise below zero.

Few things are more beautiful or potentially more deadly than long winter trips in the wilderness.

I loved how honest Mr. Wilson was about the mistakes he’s made on various winter trips. There were multiple occasions when his assumptions about the weather or his own breadth of knowledge or ability to survive under such harsh conditions could have ended in tragedy, and he wasn’t hesitant to admit that these were bad decisions in retrospect. One of the most memorable examples of this happened when he and his wife decided to spend six months living in an isolated cabin over the winter with their infant and toddler. This was a baffling choice to me at first, especially given how many hours a day the parents needed to spend washing cloth diapers and how fragile children these ages can be, but I admired how deeply the author dug into what happened to him and his family over those long, cold months and why he thought this was a good decision.

Understanding the appeal of hiking, camping, canoeing, or living in remote cabins over the winter was key to enjoying this book, and the author gave plenty of examples of why the risks were well worth it to him. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the peaceful days he and his companions knew when all was going well and the many different types of wild animals they had safe interactions with along the way. His warm feelings about nature permeated almost every single scene, and they helped to explain why he was so eager to return to it no matter what else was happening in his life at the time.

This was an illuminating look at the recent history of a subculture I knew very little about which is one of the biggest benefits of being a reader in my opinion. One never knows what they’ll discover in the next chapter! I’ll admit to being shocked by some of the trips Mr. Wilson took due to how many risks were involved with them, especially in the 1970s and 1980s when hikers did not have cell phones or other types of technology to assist them during an emergency, yet I always remained interested in his motivations for doing so and learned a lot about him and people who crave time in remote corners of nature and winter adventures in the process. ,

Snow: Finding Paradise Below Zero couldn’t have been a more exciting or thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Elvis – Diary of a King by Steven Donahue

October 16, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Elvis – Diary of a King by Steven Donahue
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Elvis is back!

The King of Rock and Roll returns in this speculative novel about the life of Elvis Presley after faking his death in 1977.

Told in a diary form, Elvis recalls the events in his “new” life after relocating to a small Pennsylvania town as part of a Witness Protection Program. Taking the name Jessie Palmer, the music legend settles into a quiet life and befriends 10-year-old Luke Rickter and his family, who live across the street from him. However, that tranquility is tested when Luke’s teenage sister goes missing, and Jessie is pulled into the investigation.

Jessie and the local police department try to solve the mystery of the missing girl and bring those responsible to justice. Along the way, Jessie tries to fit in with his new community, while adjusting to life outside of the spotlight. Jessie copes with the loss of his family and friends, and the challenges of being an outsider in a small town. He also struggles to keep his true identity a secret. If the wrong people found out he was still alive, it would jeopardize the safety of those he loves.

It’s never too late to have a second chance in life.

This genuinely felt like something set in the 1970s, from the prejudice that certain characters unfortunately had to deal with to the social mores of the time that Elvis had a wide variety of opinions about. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how this character’s early life experiences shaped the man he had become in both positive and negative ways. He was not a perfect person by any means, but he was a genuinely good individual who was doing his best to atone for past mistakes and treat others with the kindness and respect his mother always expected from him.

I would have loved to see more character development, particularly when it came to the main characters. It would be difficult for me to describe who they were as people because the narrator didn’t really go into detail on that subject. As interested as I was in the premise itself, there simply wasn’t as much attention paid to exploring the personalities and growth of the characters as I needed in order to feel comfortable giving this a higher rating.

The speculative and mystery genres were blended beautifully together here. While the latter definitely played a much larger role in the plot, they were both important in order to understand how Elvis Presley survived his final days as a famous musician before the first chapter of this book began. I can’t go into detail about that without sharing spoilers, but I will say that it was satisfying to slowly learn more and more about why Elvis made the transition from being a famous musician to living a quiet life in obscurity and what he did with his time after that.

Elvis – Diary of a King was creative.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD

October 15, 2026 By 1 Comment


Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD
Publisher: Rodale Books
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Whether your struggle to lose weight has lasted years or started more recently, GLP-1 medications will help you finally end it. While GLP-1s have redefined how we treat obesity, the search for expert care is likely to leave you feeling confused, overwhelmed, and unheard. Misconceptions are everywhere. Many doctors are still catching up with the science. And you may find a prescription but not the medical supervision you need for the best results.

In Weightless, Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen, an expert in obesity medicine, delivers the real-world strategies that have helped thousands of patients achieve health goals that once felt out of reach. Her deeply compassionate approach sees obesity, not as a personal failure but as a chronic health condition that deserves medical treatment. Drawing on years of clinical expertise and the lived experience of her patients, she explains how to:

Rethink what you know about weight management: Learn why “eat less, move more” is an outdated and ineffective prescription.
Give your GLP-1 journey a strong start: Choose an experienced provider, ask the right questions at every appointment, and get better outcomes if you’re using telehealth.

Preserve muscle for long-term success: Follow Dr. Salas-Whalen’s advice for increasing protein intake and optimizing your strength training.

Protect your progress: Manage side effects with evidence-based care, recognize when you need a dosage change, and know what to do when GLP-1s don’t work.

Adjust to life after GLP-1s: Navigate the unexpected physical, social, and psychological changes that accompany significant weight loss.

Comprehensive and empowering, Weightless offers judgment-free support that ensures you never feel alone on this journey.

I like the layout of the book. It flows seamlessly and makes complex scientific concepts easy to understand. Dr. Salas-Whalen offers advice on finding the right medical provider, setting realistic expectations, and preparing for medical appointments. She provides insights into potential side effects and emphasizes that the goal is to lose fat while improving overall health and managing your well-being both during and after treatment.

I particularly benefited from the information regarding the critical role of protein in weight loss. The protein cheat sheet included in the book is fantastic, and the appointment checklist will be incredibly helpful for future doctor visits. Additionally, the varied and relatable personal stories really connect the science to real human experiences. It’s evident that Dr. Salas-Whalen genuinely cares about her patients. If you are currently taking a GLP-1 medication or are considering it, this is the most useful book I have come across. It left me feeling confident about my journey, providing clarity on what to expect in both the short and long term, as well as insights into the future of weight-loss medicine.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Beneath The Grove by L.T. Ryan

October 14, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Beneath The Grove by L.T. Ryan
Publisher: Liquid Mind Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

She walked away from her life…

But what did she walk into?

Maddie Castle is about to find out.

Maddie Castle has taken on plenty of tough cases as a private investigator, but nothing could prepare her for this. When a desperate mother begs Maddie to find her missing daughter, she expects to track down a runaway. Instead, she uncovers the dark heart of Willow Grove—a secluded community tucked deep in rural Pennsylvania.

Jasmine Armstrong had a bright future: a promising career, a loving family, and everything to live for. Then she vanished, leaving it all behind for Willow Grove, a place known for its self-sufficient lifestyle and promises of enlightenment. But Maddie quickly learns that Willow Grove’s surface charm hides chilling secrets. Beneath its idyllic facade lie whispers of disappearances, mysterious rituals, and a community bound by an unspoken allegiance to something—or someone—powerful.

The deeper Maddie digs, the more dangerous the search becomes. Jasmine isn’t missing, but she’s no longer the woman her family remembers. Something in Willow Grove has its claws in her, and getting her out might come at a deadly cost. With time running out, Maddie must decide how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth—and if she’s prepared to face what she finds.

A desperate mother begs Maddie Castle to find her missing daughter Maddie expects the case to be fairly straightforward. When she realizes the young woman has willingly joined a small commune in rural Pennsylvania it quickly becomes apparent to Maddie that the tiny community is far more complicated than Maddie could ever have guessed. Can Maddie safely extract herself from her most dangerous case yet?

I have been enjoying this series and while there is an overall arc of Maddie and her friends and family this book is an interesting case and addition to the series. I really thought the author did a good job of explaining the main character movements of the previous few books without lessening the pace or impact of the current case. I strongly feel this book can be picked up by itself and thoroughly enjoyed by readers, but I have to admit I’m glad I’ve read the previous installments so I didn’t feel the need to catch up on the history between the characters.

This book is just a well paced and has the same sort of emotional plotline as the other books in the series. I feel this series – and Maddie’s character in particular – is very good at straddling the balance between a realistic and modern outlook but still showing the grey areas in day to day life. In this case, where do the boundaries begin between a young adult woman being able to make decisions for herself and her own life – like taking drugs or living in a commune/cult – verses where her mother or brother should be allowed to step in for her own safety. These are not clear cut or black and white issues to my mind – but riddled in grey and I feel this series deals with those sort of ambiguous and difficult decisions really well.

There are some grey or sensitive topics, like cults and drugs and violence, but I really feel they are tastefully handled and also very realistic on what the real world is currently like. This is a bit of a stretch for many mystery/suspense readers and a little outside the usual PI or police procedural style of book, but I found it gripping reading and the writing and characters kept me eagerly turning the pages. While not always a comfortable read, this was an excellent and well plotted book and I gobbled it right up. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

With Her Baby on Her Back by Suzette D. Harrison

October 13, 2026 By Leave a Comment


With Her Baby on Her Back by Suzette D. Harrison
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Will she ever see freedom for her babies?

Mississippi, 1848. Enslaved midwife Zinnie is forced to walk two thousand miles behind the slavers’ wagons, her newborn strapped to her back and her two little girls clinging to her hands. Through pain, cruelty and unimaginable hardship, she holds on to one hope: keeping her children safe. And when they cross state lines, Zinnie sees a chance to fight for her family’s freedom…

Texas, present day. Like generations of women before her, Lynette is trying to build a better future for her child. Then she discovers a sapphire brooch hidden in her grandmother’s attic… As she uncovers the extraordinary story of an ancestor she never knew about, can Lynette unlock the strength she needs now more than ever?

Inspired by the remarkable true story of Biddy Mason, an African American woman and midwife, this sweeping, emotional novel celebrates the courage of a woman who fought for her family’s freedom and saved countless lives.

With Her Baby on Her Back offers a powerful dual‑timeline story rooted in the real life courage of Biddy Mason. The historical storyline following Zinnie is compelling, emotional, and often heavy, filled with hardship, pain, and moments that are uncomfortable but important to know. Her determination, resilience, and commitment to her children make her journey unforgettable, and the ending, centered on legal freedom and strength, is truly inspiring. The blend of historical fact with fiction is one of the book’s strongest elements.

However, the modern-day storyline with Lynette didn’t work as well for me. While her search for the truth about her family was interesting, her personal struggles pulled me away from the historical narrative I was most invested in. I wasn’t as drawn to keep reading during her chapters, even though I appreciated the connection between past and present.

I’m not sure whether the book ever clarified the level of education available to the enslaved characters, but some of the dialogue didn’t fully align with what felt authentic for the time period. Lines such as “A dead snake’s the only good snake. But you walloped those eggs like they were proxy for something,” or descriptions like “My youngest raced toward me, indignant,” occasionally pulled me out of the historical setting and made certain moments feel slightly inconsistent with the character as portrayed.

Still, the novel highlights strong women, motherhood, and generational resilience. I enjoy historical fiction, and although this one wasn’t quite for me, I’m glad I read about their strength and the adversities they overcame. For someone else, this style may be perfect. Just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean you won’t.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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