The Woman in Suite 11

 The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (2025), 387 pages

I was dense and didn't connect that this might be a follow-up to The Woman in Cabin 10. I realize it has that on the cover, but I listened to the audiobook and it totally escaped me. So, when I heard the name Lo Blacklock, all the pieces came together. If you have the time, I highly suggest re-reading The Woman in Cabin 10. It came out in 2016 and getting a refresher on that mystery will enhance this one. There is a ten-year time jump between the two stories. I appreciated this as Lo has a bit more backstory as do the supporting characters. Lo, though (and I do say this with love), is still a fumbling, naive human that you would have thought had learned more through her first murder experience. But Ware does write solid, intricate, twisty mysteries and I will continue to read them. I do hope she continues this series and lets Lo grow a bit in her detective skills. Although, I suppose it wouldn't be Lo if she wasn't a completely trusting and generous soul. 

Kills Well With Others

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn, 368 pages

In this follow-up to Killers of a Certain Age, semi-retired assassins Billie, Mary Alice, Natalie, and Helen have once again been targeted by someone from their past. This time, they're being tracked by the surviving child of a crime boss they killed 45 years ago, and evading the hit is going to take every bit of their wits (and several disguises) to pull off. Traveling the world by boat, train, airplane, and even an occasional car, the quartet of killers must kill or be killed.

This was a fun sequel, though I don't know that it brought anything particularly new to the story. That said, it does give everyone who was hankering for it (AKA everyone who read Killers of a Certain Age) a second helping of the senior assassins. Read only if you've read the first one, but settle in for a fun caper when you do.

*This book will be published March 4, 2025.

Apprentice to the Villain

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, 358 pages

In this sequel to Assistant to the Villain, the action picks up right where the first book left off — with the titular Villain in the king's custody, his assistant, Evie, seemingly dead, and all hope for an evil future lost. However, Evie isn't dead, and is instead adopting the Villain's cunning evil ways to save him, and thwart the king's plans regarding magic and their homeland of Rennedawn. 

Really, the book makes very little sense if you haven't read the first one (or if you've forgotten most of the first one, like I did), though if you look past the plot (which has Evie and the Villain traipsing all over the place in search of Evie's magical mom while also dealing with awkward encounters with their families), the characters are fun and funny, especially Evie's sister Lyssa. There's also a LOT of romantic tension between Evie and the Villain, to the point that I wanted to reach into the book and slap them both upside the head. Romantic tension is all well and good, but I think this took it too far. Will I read the third book when it comes out? Yeah probably. But I won't be looking for highbrow literature when I do.

Ready Player Two

 

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (2020) 370 pages

I listened to about half of this from a Libby audiobook before I ran out of time. Like the first book in this series it was narrated by Wil Wheaton. Then I finished it with a print copy.

The first book was definitely a case of liking the book better than the movie adaptation for me. This sequel continues directly after the events of the first book. Most of the main characters are back. There is quite a bit of exposition before the new quest, which will be the bulk of the adventure, is revealed. The virtual world of the OASIS becomes even more immersive with new tech. Cline succeeds in raising the stakes for this quest. Wade and his avatar Parzival lionize Halliday the creator of the OASIS in the first book. This time a corrupted copy of Halliday's consciousness in the form of his avatar Anorak holds much of the real world hostage. The other two co-creators of the OASIS, Ogden Morrow and Kira Underwood, get more of the focus, especially Kira. The new quest is all built around Kira's nerdy interests and reveals her love story with Og. Because of the life and death stakes there is a sense of rushing to collect each of the seven parts of the gemstone without spending too much time in any of the virtual worlds that the quest sends the heroes to, but I felt like it was enough time in each of the previously unexplored worlds. I wish the new characters who assist Wade with a side quest got a little more time to shine. Otherwise, I really don't understand the many negative reviews on Goodreads. It is as if people were set against this book even before publication and couldn't give it a fair chance.