Book Review | Book Chatter

Havoc
By Christopher Bollen
Harper, December 2024, 256 pp.

The Short of It:

Quirky. Fun. Batshit Crazy.

The Rest of It:

Eighty-one-year-old widow Maggie Burkhardt came to the Royal Karnak to escape. But not in quite the same way as most other guests who are relaxing at this threadbare luxury hotel on the banks of the Nile. ~ the publisher

A luxury hotel on the banks of the Nile? Yes, please. Except, the Royal Karnak is dusty and threadbare and coming out of a pandemic shutdown. It has lost its luster, but for Maggie, recently widowed, she considers the staff her family, and the hotel, her home. It still possesses all the charm she needs, and the people within it are an added bonus.

Except, Maggie isn’t all that she seems. Older, yes, sweet, certainly can be, but she has a nose for trouble and has no problem sticking it into people’s business if she sees a reason to do so. Here, I will tread carefully so as to not give anything away.

If she sees a married couple whom she suspects is not happy, Maggie to the rescue. Inquisitive children seen with a single parent? What’s the story there? Where is the father? She befriends these folks as a service of sorts, whether it’s welcomed or not but this gets her into trouble.

As endearing as she is to the hotel staff, and loyal too, she is carefully warned by her beloved hotel manager, that she is 80 and should be living a life of peace and calm. Not running around in the ungodly heat. She takes these warnings lightly and does what she sees fit to do.

I can’t go into more without giving the story away. This is definitely a wild, crazy read and the title is fitting. HAVOC is what you will experience while reading this one. It’s very well done, in my opinion, but I’d put the book down and say to myself, “Phew, that is outright crazy” and then pick it right back up again.

The characters are very well drawn. My book club chose this book for discussion this month and at first I wasn’t sure there would be enough to discuss but oh boy, there’s plenty. There are two main characters in this book and both are off kilter which makes it a wild, fun read.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Wasp Trap
By Mark Edwards
Atria, September 16, 2025, 336pp.

The Short of It:

A dishy little read about old friends, some enemies and secrets.

The Rest of It:

A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets…or else. ~the publisher

The Wasp Trap alternates between present day and 25 years in the past. These folks are techies working on a dating app but in doing so, they live together with the company’s owner in a rambling house. There, friendships are forged and relationships are built. But that’s not the only thing going on there.

Fast forward to 25 years later. They’ve been invited to a dinner party and the old gang is reunited but not everyone feels wonderful about the event. Grudges, hurt feelings and the fact that their hosts seem overly successful feels like a bit of show.

Theo and Georgina are married now with two teens. Money is clearly not a problem for them. As each of the guests arrive, they can’t help but notice the extravagance of the place. Theo and Georgina have their own issues though. One of their daughters went missing, and the other is sifting through secrets and trying to put clues together to find her missing sister.

This is a crazy read. I’m all for dinner party drama but the party quickly goes south, even before the food is served. Edwards wastes NO time introducing the threat which takes over the entire party. Someone has a secret and someone needs to spill it in order to survive.

Why? How does the secret play into the story? Who does it affect exactly? How can they get out of this when no one can be trusted? These are the questions that you’ll ask as you read this tightly wound story.

I’ll give you my take. I didn’t care for any of these characters. Some are vapid. Some seem to be accessories like a bangle on your wrist. Others are a bit more complex but we don’t spend enough time with those characters. The missing girl story is interesting but getting to it, the path to that plot thread was a little weak in my opinion.

Parts of the story are too convenient. I did enjoy picking it up to read but often I wondered where it was going. If you need a fast-paced closed door type of read, like for a plane, this would be good.

Otherwise, you might find yourself getting frustrated with the plot and the convenience of how it all wraps up.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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