The Unraveling of Julia

Title: The Unraveling of Julia
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Published: July 15, 2025, by Grand Central Publishing
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 400 Pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Blurb: Lately, Julia Pritzker is beginning to think she’s cursed. She’s lost her adoptive parents, then her husband is murdered. When she realizes that her horoscope essentially foretold his death, she begins to spiral. She fears her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.

Then a letter arrives out of the blue, informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and vineyard —but her benefactor is a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. Julia has no information about her biological family, so she wonders if Rossi could be a blood relative. Bewildered, she heads to Tuscany for answers.

There, Julia is horrified to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse who believed herself to be a descendant of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a legendary Renaissance ruler. Stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Rossi and even to Caterina, Julia is further unnerved when she unearths eerie parallels between them, including an obsession with astrology.

Before long, Julia suspects she’s being followed, and strange things begin to happen. Not even a chance meeting with a handsome Florentine can ease her troubled mind. When events turn deadly, Julia’s harrowing struggle becomes a search for her identity, a race to save her sanity, and ultimately, a question of her very survival.

My Opinion: Forget the comparisons to Rebecca or Jane Eyre, The Unraveling of Julia isn’t trying to be a gothic homage. It’s a psychological thriller with its own pulse, wrapped in layers of astrology, adoption, and ancestral mystery, all set against the moody backdrop of a decaying Tuscan estate. Once I stopped looking for Brontë shadows and leaned into the psychological thriller aspects, I was hooked.

Lisa Scottoline wastes no time pulling you in. From page one, the tension is palpable, and nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. You’re piecing together murder, gaslighting, and tangled family histories with no clear path forward, which is part of the thrill. The narrative keeps you guessing, not just about motives but about who you can trust.

The woo-woo elements of astrology, ancestral echoes, and cosmic timing might stretch the limits for some readers, but in this setting, they feel earned. Tuscany practically hums with old-world mysticism, and Scottoline leans into it with gusto. It’s not just atmospheric; it’s integral to the unraveling.

Fast-paced and immersive, this book doesn’t let up. It’s a ride through emotional fog and fractured identities, and while the twists are sharp, the storytelling never loses its grip. If you’re in the mood for a thriller that makes you work for the payoff and rewards you with a satisfying sense of disorientation, Julia’s unraveling is worth the plunge.

Rage

Title: Rage
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 8, 2025, by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #17

Blurb: Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Eicher, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?

The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Eicher’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have done to deserve such violent ends?

With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters―individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.

To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?

My Opinion: Seventeen books in, and Linda Castillo still knows how to hook a reader from page one. Rage opens with a chilling discovery: the dismembered body of a young Amish man, scattered in eleven pieces. It’s a gruesome scene, so much so that even Kate Burkholder, who’s seen her share of horror, struggles to keep her composure. The brutality is front and center, setting the tone for a case that spirals into darker territory.

The victim’s past is murky. Was it a rumspringa gone wrong? A lawsuit turned deadly? Or maybe the woman his mother warned him about? Castillo lays out the possibilities with just enough ambiguity to keep you guessing. And when the victim’s best friend turns up, things get even messier. What did these boys stumble into?

Kate, Tomasetti, and the Painter’s Mill PD are pulled in every direction, chasing leads that seem to multiply faster than they can pin them down. The first third of the book is especially strong; you’re right there with Kate, sorting through the chaos, trying to make sense of the senseless.

But here’s where things start to wobble. Rage is a linear, plot-driven novel, focused on a single chain of events. For readers who crave layered subplots or emotional depth, this one might feel a bit thin. There’s room, at just over 300 pages, to explore more, but the story sticks to its straight path. And while the title nods to an Amish rage, it doesn’t quite resonate with the actual plot.

The resolution? Not exactly shocking. The clues are there, and the reveal makes sense, but it’s overshadowed by the repeated physical trauma Kate endures. Beaten, drugged, kidnapped—again. It’s starting to feel less like gritty realism and more like a pattern that undermines her intelligence and resilience. Is Castillo trying to retire her superhero, or just testing how much punishment Kate, or the reader, can take?

And where was the twist? This series has always delivered a final jolt, something unexpected that lingers. Rage doesn’t land that punch.

I’ll always pick up a Burkholder novel. The series has earned that loyalty. But would I hand this one to a new reader? Probably not. If you’re just starting out, go back to the earlier books; those had more narrative meat and emotional complexity. Rage feels like it’s running out of steam.

Still, for longtime fans, there’s comfort in the familiar rhythm. Just don’t expect this installment to leave a lasting mark.

The Blue Horse

Title: The Blue Horse
Author: Bruce Borgos
Published: July 8, 2025, by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 368 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Porter Beck #3

Blurb: A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there's no lack of suspects—with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck's sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they're just outside the mine—in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

My Opinion: If you’re drawn to characters like Walt Longmire or Arliss Cutter -- men who lead with grit, humor, and a stubborn sense of justice -- Porter Beck belongs on your shelf. Bruce Borgos may not have the same name recognition as Johnson or Cameron, but he’s writing at their level, and The Blue Horse proves it.

Beck’s inherited eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, means he’s fine in daylight but nearly blind at night. And since trouble tends to come after dark, he’s forced to rely on instinct, experience, and a sharp tongue to survive. Some of the book’s best moments -- funny, tense, and deeply human -- come when Beck is bluffing through danger he can’t fully see.

The story opens with the rounding up, or gathering, of wild horses, and those scenes are emotionally raw. If you’re sensitive to animal distress, brace yourself; the brutality doesn’t stop there. It shifts toward people, and Borgos doesn’t pull punches. The violence is never gratuitous, but it hits hard.

Set in 2020, COVID isn’t just a timestamp; it’s a living part of the story. It shapes the characters’ isolation, urgency, and choices. Multiple storylines unfold, each compelling on its own, but they’re destined to collide. And when they do, the tension spikes.

By the final 20%, you’re not just reading, you’re racing. Borgos tightens the screws, tugs at your heart, and leaves you breathless. That last stretch is what turns this from a solid four-star read into a five-star gut punch.

Three books in, and these characters feel like family. Beck isn’t just a hero, he’s a man you root for, worry about, and want to follow into the dark.

All the Words We Know

Title: All the Words We Know
Author: Bruce Nash
Published: July 1, 2025, by Atria Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 240 Pages
Genre: Labeled as a Mystery, but it's actually Women's Fiction, Aging
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Blurb: Rose may be in her eighties and suffering from dementia, but she’s not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her assisted living facility, musing on the staff and residents, and enduring visits form her emotionally distant children and granddaughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and determined investigation to discover the truth and uncover all manner of secrets…even some from her own past.

My Opinion: After reading the mixed reviews, I’m glad I gave All the Words We Know a full chance. It’s not a book that will resonate with everyone, and that’s precisely what makes it worth reading. Though it’s technically labeled detective fiction, that feels like a misdirection. The mystery here isn’t about solving a crime, it’s about unraveling a life. Women’s fiction or literary fiction centered on aging would be a far more fitting genre tag.

The story is told through Rose, a narrator whose unreliability is both intentional and heartbreaking. She’s in the early to middle stages of dementia, and we know that from the start. But what we don’t know, and what Bruce Nash keeps us questioning, is how much Rose truly remembers, how much she’s been told to forget, and whether she’s confusing the two. Or maybe she’s not confused at all. Maybe she’s playing everyone. That ambiguity is what drives the novel, and it keeps you turning pages with a mix of dread and hope.

The unfolding leans heavily on homophones, which makes the written word essential. I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook version since so much of the nuance would be lost without seeing the language on the page. Nash uses repetition not as a flaw but as a feature. It mirrors the looping patterns of Rose’s mind, and while it can be disorienting, it’s also deeply immersive. You’re not just reading about dementia, you’re experiencing it from the inside.

Rose herself is a marvel. At times, she says things that sound racist, and it’s uncomfortable. But it’s also complicated. Is this her true nature surfacing without the usual filters? Or is it a symptom of her condition, a breakdown in the brain-to-mouth barrier? Either way, you learn to love her. She’s sharp in ways that sneak up on you. She might fumble for everyday words, but then she’ll drop the Latin name of a bird or a plant with effortless precision. You start to suspect she was once a teacher, a botanist, maybe an ornithologist. She’s not just a woman losing her memory; she’s a woman whose mind still holds treasures, even if she can’t always access them.

The setting, a care home, adds another layer of tension. Familiarity is a commodity, and what Rose can afford shapes what she’s allowed to remember. Her son’s evasiveness, her children’s skepticism, and the institutional haze all raise the question: who gets to decide what’s real? And who benefits from that decision?

This book is funny in the way that only truth can be. It’s heartbreaking in the way that only love can be. It’s terrifying in the way that only memory loss can be. And it’s weepy in the way that only a garden, real or imagined, can make you feel. By the end, I couldn’t swear to Rose’s name, even she says it’s unimportant, but good enough. And if the garden she sits in is only in her mind, then for every day she has left, I say let her have it. Let her have all the words she knows.