The Last Orbit

by

Lance Jepsen

In a far-future universe where corporations control everything, including history, going along is the only way to stay alive.

The Lost Orbit is a new science fiction thriller by Lance Jepsen, set in a distant future where corporations control everything. Nicole Gordon is the pilot of the Tethys, a salvage ship held together by little more than hopes and prayers. With few resources, she’s barely scraping by as she plies the Graveyard Orbit on the fringes of known space, looking for salvageable wreckage that others have overlooked or passed on, when she encounters an arkship, a huge, mythical spacecraft with its cargo still aboard and viable. But even the outer edges of space have corporate eyes and ears, and she soon finds herself fleeing for her life with one of the greatest secrets of her time by her side. 

Nicole Gordon is a solitary soul, cynical, and suffering the aftereffects of a corporate memory wipe she underwent after a mission gone wrong three years earlier. Things that shouldn’t be familiar to her are, and the mental manipulations done to her seem to be slowly reversing. Why this is allowed, other than the corporations are in charge, we do not know. Did she agree to having some technician physically drill into her head? Still, I enjoyed the action as critical memories continued to reestablish themselves and the mystery of her past was revealed. 

Nicole is supported by interesting secondary characters such as her friend, Riya Bass, who arrives on the scene after miraculously capturing part of a distress signal. She is a talented communications expert, using available space junk and cobbled-together pieces of obsolete tech to make broken things work. Alton Virek becomes Nicole’s companion as she flees the security forces of the corporation after she discovers their dirty secret hidden in the Graveyard Orbit. Dr. Imani Abut, not to be confused with another character, Jora Imanin, is a medical doctor who’s seen it all while hiding on a derelict space station on the fringes of space for the previous 20 years. The characters are chased through off-limits space and treacherous debris fields by the corporate hunters, as they desperately attempt to get the word out about the corporation’s biggest lie of all. 

While the plot grabs attention and the settings are atmospheric, the story’s pace is hindered by constant description of every move, thought, and scene in a noir style. This treatment initially entertained me, but it quickly grew stale and disrupted the flow of the action. I really needed the author just to move it along. The author repeatedly used the same descriptions over and over again. All machinery and ship features groaned and moved as if they suffered from arthritis. The constant blaring of klaxons was accompanied by flashing red lights, always described as the color of a slaughterhouse or abattoir. Pilot Gordon experienced everything in her environment through her molars or the soles of her boots, and there was entirely too much hand-smacking of buttons, scraped knuckles, and bleeding on keyboards. I began to wonder if the basic story idea had been fleshed out using AI. Still, I wanted to know how the story resolved, so that is what ultimately determined my rating of 3 stars. 

I recommend THE LAST ORBIT to casual science fiction adventure readers.

For this and other reviews, visit my blog, Boys' Mom Reads!

Trafficking in Murder

Sydney Riley Provincetown Mystery, #11

by

Jeannette de Beauvoir

A gripping mystery ensues as Sydney’s new acquaintances are marked for death!

Trafficking in Murder is the eleventh book in veteran author Jeannette de Beauvoir’s compelling Sydney Riley Provincetown Mystery series featuring Sydney, the co-owner of an historic coastal hotel, her Homeland Security special agent husband, Ali, and her best friend and renowned artist Mirela Petrovna. When a travel show television producer goes missing while filming a segment at the Race Point Inn, Sydney is just as baffled as the woman’s coworkers. Although they had just met, the two women had connected and made plans for later in the day. But when Juliet Mills fails to turn up days after the show is wrapped, the worst is assumed. Meanwhile, a girl from a nearby Wampanoag tribe also disappears, coincidentally, the next story the missing producer was to feature this tribe’s upcoming pow-wow. 

Sydney Riley, mentioned by name in a killer’s notes, is an engaging and sympathetic protagonist who, naturally, struggles with the implication that she is the reason people around her are being targeted. As she reviews her past involvement in cases that may have made her some enemies, readers get a quick look into the previous books in the series. There are an almost overwhelming number of individuals who could hold a grudge against her for uncovering their awful crimes. However, Sydney decides no one is going to look into her past to solve these new cases, so it is incumbent upon her to do it herself. Ali is understandably upset with her decision, and his emotional response to her looking into this latest murder leads to the first big argument of their marriage. 

In this book, Sydney and Ali are staying up-Cape in Marstons Mill, where Ali is attending a training conference and looking into the young Wampanoag woman’s disappearance, as she may have been a victim of human trafficking. They are staying at their friend Margo’s home, cat-sitting a gruff tabby named Wally, while she is vacationing in Ireland. As Ali is away overnight a lot, Sydney invites Mirela to come up to help stave off her fears of the unknown noises she hears in the big, empty house, and Ali invests Mirela as backup for Sydney’s inevitable investigating. The descriptions of the new settings are vivid and accompanied by interesting and tragic bits of history of the location and the Wampanoag tribe, whose descendants still live there. 

The plot moves quickly, and the suspense builds as Sydney searches for clues and connections between the murder of Juliet Mills and the disappearance of Sky Taylor. The resolution is riveting and a very suspenseful finale for all their cases. 

I recommend TRAFFICKING IN MURDER to suspenseful cozy mystery fans.

For this and other book reviews, visit Guatemala Paula Loves to Read at 

https://guatemalapaula.blogspot.com/2026/06/virtual-book-tour-giveaway-trafficking.html

The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery

Sydney Riley, #10

by

Jeannette de Beauvoir

Exciting addition to the Sydney Riley series!

The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery is the tenth book in author Jeannette de Beauvoir’s humorous, cozy mystery series, which features former wedding planner turned hotel owner Sydney Riley. Sydney and her new husband Ali start their married life together with an uninvited guest dropping into their wedding. 

The main character, Sydney, is an absolute magnet for mystery and murder, and this latest book brings both elements to the table in full force. Sydney is just as fun as she can be as she works toward finding answers, even when worried about the threats to Ali’s wellbeing. She is surrounded by a plethora of fine supporting characters that bring the story to life and provide the perfect platform for the author’s signature wit and clever dialogue to shine. 

The plot of this book literally ‘hits the ground’ running, as they say, and the author keenly maintained my interest throughout with twists and added mystery. My pleasure with the story was greatly enhanced by the inclusion of historical tales regarding this part of Cape Cod, such as the German U-boats that roamed the coast during WWII and the actual existence of the dune shacks along the beach outside Provincetown and the related controversy. 

Although this novel is well down the line in this long-running series, it can still be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I recommend THE HONEYMOON HOMICIDES to cozy mystery readers looking for a new series to jump on and fans of the previous books in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Recipe for Murder

Pine Cove Mystery, #2

by

Marla A. White

When Mel's love interest returns to Pine Cove, he's followed by a killer!

Recipe for Murder is the second book in author Marla A. White's cozy Pine Cove Mystery series set high in the California mountains and featuring retired LA detective turned innkeeper, Emmeline "Mel" O'Rourke. When former love interest Jackson Thibodeaux suddenly arrives back in town long after what was to have been a short two-week stay with his mother in New Orleans, he's not alone. While cooling his heels in the Big Easy, he'd signed up for a culinary school course and, midway through, had discovered a classmate deceased in the school's kitchen, and now someone was taking shots at him, too. He wants Mel to find out who killed his friend, Kaya, since the New Orleans PD closed the case as a suicide, and the scene he found in the kitchen doesn't add up to their conclusion. Meanwhile, Mel and local sheriff's deputy Gregg Marks had grown closer after Jackson left her hanging, and she's struggling to separate her feelings for the two very different men. 

Mel is an engaging, likable main character who is trying to make a success of her second career as an innkeeper, after an on-the-job injury scuttled her first. Her family had pooled their resources to help her follow her new dream, but the old inn itself seems to be doing its best to make this as difficult as possible. She is supported in her new venture by her now friend and former cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, who's a great cook. She also has a growing affection for Mel's brother, Liam, a plumber, who keeps patching The Brook back up whenever something breaks. Joining them is Grandma O'Rourke, who mans the front desk and applies her mad computer skills to the research Mel needs to investigate her new unofficial case. 

While business is looking up for the inn, especially with an upcoming music festival in town, the old girl's infrastructure springs a major leak. While Liam does what he can to make repairs and get the rental cottage that was affected back in service, Mel works to uncover the truth behind Kaya Woods' death and stop whoever has hunted Jackson all the way back to Pine Cove. The plot moves quickly as Mel's long-distance investigation yields more clues, and she tries to do the honorable thing by committing to pursuing a relationship with either Gregg or Jackson. While it was fun watching her decision-making, it was even more fun watching Poppy, Grandma, and cousin Gemma's reactions to her dilemma. The banter among the women in the story absolutely sparkled. There was some clever misdirection, a red herring or two, and plot twists that kept me guessing, but I really enjoyed the exciting reveal when it came. 

I recommend RECIPE FOR MURDER to cozy mystery fans. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

The Brothers and Sisters Eatery

by

Gabe Reaume

Captivating tale of culinary collaboration and kinship in 1920s Chicago.

The Brothers and Sisters Eatery by Gabe Reaume is a warm and captivating tale of two disparate families in 1920s Chicago, drawn together by the fathers' love of cooking and sharing their special family dishes with others. Samson, the head of the Sanders family, is a former slave from Sugar Land, Texas, with a gift for creating mouthwatering barbeque. His wife, Sandra, is an equally gifted baker of hard-to-resist fruit hand pies. Massimo "Mass" Messina is an immigrant from Sicily, brought to the U.S. after years of coaxing by his wife's older brother, Carmine Basile, a Chicago businessman with ties to the Sicilian mafia. Mass's life revolves around the dishes he's grown up with and perfected, and he plans to bring them to his new home by opening a restaurant on his own, without his brother-in-law's help. Both men require capital to keep their families afloat while pursuing their dreams, and the unlikely pair meets when their lunch pails are swapped on the first day of their new jobs at the Chicago Armour plant. 

Two passionate, determined men and two loving, supportive families form the foundation of this inspirational, satisfying historical fiction story about immigrant experiences in 1920s Chicago. The two fathers' love of cooking is the common thread that draws them together, but it is their kindness, humanity, shared experiences, and like-mindedness that cement their enduring friendship. I liked that the families shared these qualities and meshed so well as they worked toward their common goal. 

The author presents a vivid picture of life in Chicago and the social climate at that time. The attitudes towards Blacks and immigrants are a reminder of the past and, for some, a mirror of current relations. The two men drew the former slaughterhouse workers' particular ire because they were hired as replacements for the strikers. The descriptions of the work, practices, and conditions at the plant were eye-opening. 

However, the plot is not just about the two families' paths to collaboration as chefs and, eventually, restaurateurs. The descriptions of their meals, mains, sides, and breads all had me watering at the mouth and wishing the author had included recipes at the end of the book! Also, suspenseful twists involving individuals from both men's pasts threaten not only their dreams but also their lives and those of their families! 

The fathers' shared love of cooking and their willingness and determination to persevere, doing whatever it took to keep their families afloat while they worked toward a better life and future, is a tribute to fathers everywhere who are quietly and persistently doing the same: the perfect story as Father's Day approaches. 

I recommend THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS EATERY to readers of historical fiction, especially those with an affinity for immigrant stories, men overcoming great odds, or early Chicago settings. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.