A Killer in the Family

A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad, 320 pages

Ali is the second son of an established Mumbai family, happily letting his older brother stress over the family business while he partied his way through life. However, when his mom decides that he needs to grow up, well, he doesn't have much choice in the matter. Thankfully, she's picked Maryam, the daughter of New York real estate tycoon Abbas Khan, to be his wife, a relationship he happily supplements with an affair with Maryam's divorced sister, Farhan. As Ali gets more and more ensconced in the Khan family business, he begins to realize that there are some dark secrets in the family and chooses to launch his own investigation, completely unsure of where it will lead.

It's hard to read a book about the ultra-rich and feel any sympathy for them these days, but thankfully, no sympathy is required with this cast of characters. Generally speaking, they're all horrible in one way or another (some in multiple ways), and the plot keeps you guessing. I also appreciated seeing a non-white family at the center of one of these family thrillers, and the elements of Indian traditions and food were wonderful additions. Sure, there were some twists that were a bit obvious, but really, that's par for the course with these books. Definitely worth a read.

This book will be published April 7, 2026.

Bad Monkey

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen  317 pp.

Andrew Yancy former detective for the Miami and Key West Police, has been demoted to restaurant inspector, aka Roach Patrol for assaulting his ex-girlfriend's husband in a unique way. After a strange turn of events Yancy is left with a human arm in his freezer, an arm that was caught by a fisherman. Yancy thinks the explanation for the arm's existence (boating accident) is bogus. He is determined to prove it was murder in hopes that he may win back his old job on the police force. While doing that he has to deal with the crazy ex-girlfriend; a property developer who has ruined the view from his house; the widow of the frozen arm; a voodoo witch whose young lovers tend to end up dead; his new love, a Miami medical examiner; a hurricane; and the Bad Monkey who was once an extra in Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. It's a convoluted wild ride with hilarious twists. This was the first adult novel of Hiaasen's that I have read after enjoying his children's books. Now I have to go back to read the older ones. I listened to the audiobook version which was read by Arte Johnson (yes, the "Laugh-In" guy) and had lots of laughs while driving to and from work.

One Good Turn / Kate Atkinson 418 p.

This is the second in the Jackson Brodie series, and it's just as good as all the others I've read.  It's tempting to say that Atkinson just writes mysteries to give herself a scaffold for developing her intriguing characters.  The problem with that theory is that Atkinson doesn't 'just write' anything.  Her mysteries are so darned good: well-plotted, perfectly paced, and full of great surprises.  This one features a Scottish mystery writer who spends most of his life in a dream state which ends when he crosses paths with a psycho with a baseball bat at an Edinburgh drama festival.  Throw a marauding real estate developer and a highly dubious housecleaning service in and you have all the ingredients for a satisfying read.