The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett

An eccentric detective turns to the fantastical to solve a cold case in this short story.

On a long carriage journey with her assistant Din, brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra ponders a solution to an impossible crime that has remained unsolved for centuries. A lavish wedding for two noble scions of the Empire descended into chaos when the newlyweds were found murdered in their marriage bed. But Ana—an expert in ancient myths, awakened beasts, and magic—knows that nothing is impossible, only unimaginable.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Lion’s Tusk is part of the Magic & Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

Kindle Edition, 38 pages

Published July 28, 2026

 by Amazon Original Stories

3/5 stars

This was my first time reading Robert Jackson Bennett, reading a short story is a great way to discover new authors. 

The Lion's Tusk is part of the Ana & Din Mysteries, this worked fine on its own.

On a long carriage journey, investigator Ana recounts an unsolved case to her assistant Din, a case that is tied to a wedding gone horribly wrong.

This was a weird one. Interesting enough to hold my attention, but definitely on the gory side, more than I was expecting going in. At only 38 pages it was enough to get the gist of what was going on without overstaying its welcome.

Since this was my introduction to the author and the series, I imagine longtime fans of Ana and Din would get more out of the references and dynamic between the characters than I did coming in cold. As a standalone taste of Bennett's style, it was a decent enough read, but not one that is pulling me to immediately continue with the series.

My thanks to Amazon Original for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

Heat Trap: A Short Story by Ellery Lloyd

A vacation in the French countryside turns sinister in a twisty short story of manipulation and revenge among friends.

Yet again, Lizzie has taken on the task of organising the annual summer getaway in France for her longtime friend group. After all, she’s got the time: The others are married, with families and high-powered jobs, while Lizzie is a perpetually single personal assistant. This year, though, she’s excited to show off her charming new boyfriend, Mal. While the holiday group chat buzzes with questions for Lizzie, Mal stays quiet, but once they gather at the château, he’s all charisma—even as dangerous mishaps begin to mount. The guests begin to realise that one of their number has his or her own sinister reasons for joining this year’s trip.

Kindle Edition, 96 pages

First published July 14, 2026

by Amazon Original Stories

3.5/5

Coming in at 96 pages, this is another quick read that packs a fair bit into a short space. Ellery Lloyd, the pen name for husband and wife duo Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos, is a new to me author.  Which is why I grabbed this Read Now from netgalley.

As with anything this short, there usually isn't a lot of time to get to know each character in great depth. But in this case, I did get to know them fairly well and feel this could have made a great full length novel.  Told from a couple pov's there was secrets, suspense and twists I genuinely did not see coming. There is the mystery running throughout that built tension as this group dynamic starts to unravel.

The conclusion felt fitting, wrapping things up in a way that suited the length and tone of the story without feeling rushed. A solid pick if you want a quick, twisty read that delivers some good surprises along the way.

My thanks to Amazon Original for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst

A book-loving witch finds magic and mystery in a whimsical short story about the transformative power of friendship and community.

After a challenging divorce, Ashley joins a witchy book club in search of a new social life. But when members start being transformed one by one, Ashley and the remaining book club members must uncover the culprit behind these sinister spells. With time running out until she’s the next target, she turns to her grimoire for answers. Because what better way to catch a magical culprit than through stories?

Sarah Beth Durst’s The Wednesday Witches Book Club is part of the Magic & Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

Kindle Edition, 49 pages 

Expected publication July 28, 2026 

by Amazon Original Stories

4/5 stars

This reader loves stories with a bookish theme.  Welcome to The Wednesday Witches Book Club! 

Sarah Beth Durst brings her signature cozy fantasy warmth to this short story about Ashley.  Hoping to find new friends she joins a witchy book club after a rough divorce.

What she finds is a lot more complicated. Members of the club start getting transformed one by one, and nobody knows who's behind it or why. Ashley has to dig through her grimoire for answers before she becomes the next target.

This is a quick read, more short story than novella, so I didn't expect deep world building or a slow burn. What I got instead was a charming read with a great cat, witchy details and more.

An entertaining and quick read.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories for a digital ARC (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

From Sarah Pekkanen, comes a stunning new novel of buried secrets, mind-bending history, and one woman’s search for the truth . . .

Decades ago, four women at prestigious Marquis University were the focus of parapsychology experiments led by a pioneering researcher. Just as they seemed on the verge of a real breakthrough, the four women vanished and the program was abruptly shut down.

In the present day, Riley Bell is desperate for a new life when she lands a caretaker job for Betty Sadler—an elderly, wheelchair bound woman whose house seems suspended in time. No television. No microwave. And Betty has never even heard of a cell phone.

Newly widowed, Betty discovers notes in her late husband’s papers that spark her quest to answer one final unanswered mystery that has shadowed her for six what happened to her three best friends who disappeared on the same day?

Told in dual timelines, as Betty’s world of 5 o’clock martinis and increasingly rigorous experiments converges with Riley’s present-day search for the other three women, the danger and intensity grow white hot.

Because whatever was swirling around these four exceptional young women is rising again.

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Expected publication August 4, 2026

 by St. Martin's Press

4/5 stars

This was my first time reading Sarah Pekkanen, I enjoyed the experience enough that I will be looking into more of her work. 

This unique premise story moved between two timelines. In 1964, four young women become the subjects of parapsychology experiments.  It's part of a program that mysteriously vanishes from history along with the women themselves. In the present day there is Riley Bell,  newly divorced and looking for a fresh start.  She takes a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty.  Betty has lived in near total isolation for decades.  Red flags right there!

Blending a decades old mystery with paranormal elements is not something I come across often and Pekkanen pulls it off well. The dual timeline is one of my favorites and this one kept me engaged as I slowly connected the dots between what happened to those women in the sixties and why Betty has spent so many years hidden away from the world.

The Women in White is  a twisty, original read that stood out from the usual dual timeline books I've read.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press (via Netgalley) for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison

A fresh take on Groundhog Day in this heartfelt and hilarious novel following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together. 

When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.

What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover...it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.

Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

 Audiobook, 10 hours, 18 minutes

Published July 21, 2026 

by Macmillan Audio

3.5/5 stars

Destination Funeral, out since July 21, was my second read by Paige Harbison, I really enjoying her debut, The Other Side of Now. I listened to this one as an audiobook ARC.

When Babe dies, four estranged friends are pulled back to Mercy Island for the reading of her will.  They find themselves stuck in a Groundhog Day style time loop the night before her funeral.

A time loop naturally means covering similar ground on repeat. That said, Harbison does it well, letting small shifts show up in each loop as the group slowly catches on. Each friend brings a distinct personality to the group  with the story weaving back in time to show how their friendship formed and the moments over the years that shaped who they became.  It gave the present day tension more weight and I was able to grasp exactly what each was carrying into that pink house.

Destination Funeral is a story about family,  sisters specifically and a group of friends finding their way back to each other. A warm, bittersweet read that asked for a little patience, but worth it in the end.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.