Author: Civilian Reader

Excerpt: A GRAVE DECEPTION by Connie Berry (Crooked Lane)

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Next week, Crooked Lane Books will publish A Grave Deception by Connie Berry, the sixth novel in the Kate Hamilton Mysteries series. To mark the occasion, and give readers a taste of the book, the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share with our readers. First, here’s the synopsis:

Antiques expert Kate Hamilton dives into the past to solve a fourteenth-century mystery with disturbing similarities to a modern-day murder in the sixth installment of the Kate Hamilton mystery series.

Kate Hamilton and her husband, Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, have settled into married life in Long Barston. When archaeologists excavating the ruins of a nearby plague village discover the miraculously preserved body of a fourteenth-century woman, Kate and her colleague, Ivor Tweedy, are asked to appraise the grave goods, including a valuable pearl. When tests reveal the woman was pregnant and murdered, the owner of the estate on which the body was found, an amateur historian, asks Kate to identify her and, if possible, her killer. Surprised, Kate agrees to try.

Meanwhile, tensions within the archaeological team erupt when the body of the lead archaeologist turns up at the dig site with fake pearls in his mouth and stomach. Then a third body is found in the excavations. Meanwhile, Kate’s husband Tom is tracking the movements of a killer of his own.

With the help of 700-year-old documents and the unpublished research of a deceased historian, Kate must piece together the past before the grave count reaches four.

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Very Quick Review: DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC by Candice Millard (Vintage)

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An engaging, highly-readable history of Garfield’s rise to the presidency and death.

James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation’s corrupt political establishment.

But four months after Garfield’s inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but became the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power — over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care.

Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.

Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic has been on my radar for a very long time; it was first published in 2011, when I was still in college and reading through as many biographies of the US presidents as I could (for my studies, but also because I was generally interested). I never got around to reading it while at university, but with the recent Netflix adaptation — Death by Lightning — my interest in reading it was revived. So, I popped to Book City in Toronto (highly recommend this local chain), bought the book, and started reading it that same day.

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Upcoming: REVENGE PREY by John Sandford (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

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Next year, Lucas Davenport returns in Revenge Prey, the 36th novel in John Sandford‘s Prey series, which has long been one of my favourite series — I’ve been reading and thoroughly enjoying Sandford’s novels since 2004, and recently started re-reading some of his earlier novels (for example, the Kidd series and Dead Watch). This is easily one of my most-anticipated 2026 novels. Here’s the synopsis:

Lucas Davenport must track down a ruthless Russian hit team…

Leonard Summers — not his real name — is on the run. A former high-ranking Russian intelligence officer who defected to the U.S. after providing critical information about Russian spies in U.S. government service, Leonard,  his wife Martha, and son Bernard have spent the past year holed up in a CIA facility near Washington. After the CIA makes a deal with the U.S. Marshal Service’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), Leonard’s family is transported to Minneapolis. The plan is to hide them in a wooded Minneapolis suburb that resembles their former home and dacha near Moscow.

The Summers are received at their destination by Lucas Davenport and fellow marshal Shelly White. Unbeknownst to them, the WPP group has been tracked by a Russian hit team. And while nobody in the WPP has ever been attacked… Leonard might be the first victim. As shots are fired and enemies dodged, Lucas must move quickly to uncover where the leak is coming from, before the hit team can strike again.

John Sandford’s Revenge Prey is due to be published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in North America on April 7th, 2026. (No UK publisher at the time of writing — perhaps Simon & Schuster, who have published most of the previous Prey novels to date.) The publisher has kindly already sent me a DRC of the novel, so I’ll be reading it very soon.

Also on CR: Reviews of Phantom Prey, Wicked Prey, Storm Prey, Buried Prey, Stolen Prey, Silken Prey, Field of Prey, Golden Prey, Neon Prey, Masked Prey, Righteous Prey Judgement Prey, Toxic Prey, Lethal Prey, Dark of the Moon, The Investigator, and Dark Angel

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Upcoming: DAUGHTER OF CROWS by Mark Lawrence (Ace)

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I have unfortunately fallen quite far behind on Mark Lawrence‘s novels — so many books, so little time! Nevertheless, this should not be taken as disinterest; every one of the author’s books that I’ve read has been very enjoyable, and I’m always eager to read more of his work. The first novel in Lawrence’s new Kindness Academy series, Daughter of Crows, will arrive on shelves in March 2026. In addition to sharing the synopsis (which piqued my interest), I also wanted to take this opportunity to share that fantastic cover by Tom Roberts (whose excellent work you may recognize from a growing number of recent SFF releases). Here’s what the book is about:

The survivor of a brutal academy must exhume her own past…

Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters.

The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies—known as the kindly ones—against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year a hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three will emerge.

The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few that survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws.

Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep.

That was a mistake.

Mark Lawrence’s Daughter of Crows is due to be published by Ace Books in North America (March 24th, 2026) and Voyager in the UK (March 26th).

Also on CR: Interview with Mark Lawrence (2011); Reviews of Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, Prince of Fools, and One Word Kill

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

New Books (November)

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Featuring: Jean Becker & Tom Collamore, Kit Chellel, Mahmud el Sayed, Jill Lepore, Megan Kate Nelson, Keith O’Brien, Stephan Talty, Molly Tanzer, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Craig Thomas, Martha Wells

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Excerpt: THE MANY NAMES OF ROBERT CREE by Robert Cree, w. Therese Greenwood (ECW Press)

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Today we are very happy to share an excerpt from The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, the new autobiography by Fort McMurray First Nation chief Robert Cree (w. Therese Greenwood). Recently published by ECW Press, here’s the synopsis:

A vital account of the life and many names of Robert Cree, and his plan for a peaceful, sincere, and just path to reconciliation in an angry and chaotic world.

His mother called him “Bobby Mountain.” Elders called him “Great Man.” His people called him “Chief.” Oil men called him “Mr. Cree.” But the government called him “Number 53.” Robert Cree was all of these while facing his people’s oppressors and freeing the ghosts of tortured spirits.

The Many Names of Robert Cree is his first-person account of survival in a brutally racist residential school system designed to erase traditional Indigenous culture, language, and knowledge. It is also the story of an epic life of struggle and healing, as Cree takes the wisdom of his ancestors and a message of reconciliation to the halls of government and to industry boardrooms.

In the storytelling tradition of his people, Cree recounts his early years in the bush, his captivity at a residential school, his struggles with addiction, his political awakening as one of Canada’s youngest First Nation Chiefs, and the rising Indigenous activism of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He also recounts the oil industry’s arrival on his poverty-stricken reserve and the ensuing struggle to balance economic opportunity with environmental challenges.

Throughout, Cree’s leadership is rooted in his unshakable commitment to the sacred traditional teachings of his people. His beliefs give him the strength to focus on hope, dignity, and building a better future for his community. Now a respected Elder and spiritual leader, Cree champions forgiveness as a powerful force that can bring healing and transformation for all.

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Upcoming: INDIE DARLING by Lauren Nossett (Flatiron)

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Next year, Flatiron Books are due to publish Indie Darling, the next novel from Lauren Nossett — “a mystery set in Nashville, where a Dolly Parton–loving private detective is drawn into the disappearance of an enigmatic pop star.” I very much enjoyed the author’s first two novels, The Resemblance and The Professor, both of which I would definitely recommend to all fans of crime fiction: well-written, interesting setting (they’re sort-of campus crime), and engaging characters. The author’s new novel looks equally interesting, as well as a little bit different. Here’s the synopsis:

Nashville is a city of two faces, where the glitter often masks the grit.

Kelly Williams helps women. Sisters in search of lost siblings. Wives determined to uncover affairs. Daughters haunted by men lingering outside their windows. Clients trust her because she listens, she believes them, and over the years she’s honed a specialized skill set.

Kelly is a Dolly Parton–loving, sports-car-driving private investigator in Nashville, Tennessee. Her latest client, Sarah-Faith Owens, comes to her after receiving threatening messages. Something about the woman feels familiar, and Kelly realizes she’s Seraph, the magnetic, polarizing lead singer of the indie music sensation The Garden Snakes. With feminist anthems, cryptic lyric easter eggs, and an electrifying stage presence, Seraph has built a fiercely loyal following ― and attracted a number of critics. At that level of fame, her stalker could be anyone.

Then, in the middle of a Nashville performance, Seraph is shot on stage ― and the ambulance carrying her disappears. As the city reels and conspiracy theories swirl, Kelly is pulled into a dangerous web of secrets involving Seraph’s bandmates, her troubled past, and the high cost of stardom.

Lauren Nossett’s Indie Darling is due to be published by Flatiron Books in North America, on July 28th, 2026.

Also on CR: Review of The Resemblance

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram

Upcoming: WE WILL SEE YOU BLEED by Ron Currie (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

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The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne was the first novel by Ron Currie that I read, and it was an excellent introduction to his work: it was a gripping mystery overlying sharp and empathetic social commentary, populated by engaging and three-dimensional characters. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to learn that the author is returning to the setting, Little Canada, in his next novel: We Will See You Bleed, due out next summer. Definitely one of my now-most-anticipated novels of 2026. Here’s the synopsis:

It’s late summer 1984, and Babs Dionne’s hometown of Waterville, Maine is on the verge of collapse. A strike at the paper mill has dragged on for a year, pitting neighbor against neighbor, leaving everyone broke and exhausted. 

As head of the union local, Babs has presided over Little Canada’s decline. She’s sworn off violence since killing a man when she was a teenager, and has stuck to this vow even as it’s become clear that only violence can save their community. When Babs’ best friend Rita returns home after five years away, she is shocked by the state of things. And as the strike comes to a head, Rita notices something else: the men may be broken, but the women are furious, ready to do whatever necessary to take back Little Canada. 

They just need Babs to be the fearless woman who emerged from the woods fifteen years ago, drenched in blood. They need Babs to face what she already knows: that the only way to fix things is to assume control. Completely. Mercilessly.

Ron Currie’s We Will See You Bleed is due to be published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in North America, on July 7th, 2026. (No UK publisher at the time of writing, but the first book was published by Atlantic Books.)

Also on CR: Review of The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads

Upcoming: EVERYBODY LOSES by Danny Funt (Gallery)

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The explosion of sports betting is relentless. If you follow any sport at all, you will be inundated by ads (often celebrity-fronted) boosting betting apps and platforms, urging fans to make more of their fandom. The relentless tsunami of advertising around sports betting has generated a fair amount of comedy (especially from Canada’s The Beaverton — “Sportsnet apologises for interrupting gambling commercial with hockey”), but few people could argue that it hasn’t also corrupted sports in general — just consider the recent scandals especially with the NBA, for example.

Luckily, there are plenty of people investigating the world and impact of this explosion in sports betting; I’d highly recommend Michael Lewis’s podcast season on the subject. Understanding the industry and how it operates seems to be ever-more important. In January 2026, Gallery Books will publish Everybody Loses by Danny Funt, which “pulls back the curtain on the alluring yet perilous world of American sports gambling.”

Everybody Loses is the first major investigation into America’s sports gambling industry. Journalist Danny Funt has obtained wild stories and stunning admissions from the people trying to transform our nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers, including:

• Former sportsbook executives who cop to misleading customers, with one admitting they’re “selling that you can win, but you can’t.”
• VIP “hosts” at the gambling companies who divulge the extravagant perks they offer their biggest losers to keep them hooked.
• Insiders who recall secret meetings where NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB executives learned how much money their leagues stood to make if they abandoned their opposition to gambling.
• Lobbyists who detail how they converted skeptical politicians into gambling industry cheerleaders.

This riveting narrative will captivate sports fans, concerned parents, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of money and morals. Everybody Loses is the crucial book for understanding why sports gambling is suddenly everywhere — and why the odds are so great that the problems it’s creating will soon spiral out of control.

Danny Funt’s Everybody Loses is due to be published by Gallery Books in North America and in the UK, on January 20th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky

Excerpt: THE WONDER LANDS WAR by Peter Darbyshire (Poplar Press)

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Today we have an excerpt from The Wonder Lands War, the fourth book in Peter Darbyshire‘s The Books of Cross series — readers may recall that we have shared excerpts from the three previous novels in the series, too (see below for links). It’s is out now, published by Poplar Press. Here’s the synopsis:

I would take the whole world apart to find her.

The immortal Cross is back in a wild new adventure – a desperate hunt to find the enigmatic Alice from the Wonderland tales. Alice has helped Cross save the world countless times over since she stepped out of the pages of her book, but now she is the one that needs rescue after vanishing during an apocalyptic battle. Aided by the faerie queen Morgana and her court, Cross journeys to mystical islands populated with murderous immortals and into famous libraries with powerful librarians and magical texts until they reach the chaotic and terrifying Wonder Lands, the dangerous inspiration for the original Alice tales. But they are not the only ones looking for Alice – a rogue group of angels are also hunting her for mysterious reasons of their own. The very fate of the world may rest upon who finds Alice first.

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