Thrillers | Book Chatter

Children of the Wolf
By Abby Gen
Ballantine, September 2026, 320pp.

The Short of It:

A demon filled story. Haunting and raw.

The Rest of It:

“As an adult, Liv leads a quiet life, tending to the beekeeping business that supports her and her brother. But when a dead body is discovered in her town, she is forced to grapple with a legacy of violence from when she was small.

As a child, she shared a home in rural Iowa with her brother Finn and their father Ulf. Swedish-born Ulf, a direct descendant of the infamous Erik the Red, raises his children as if they are Vikings. They are homeschooled, speak only Swedish, learn swordplay and archery, celebrate the Norse holidays, and worship the old gods with blood sacrifices.” ~ the publisher

Children of the Wolf takes time to fully invest the reader in its characters. Liv and Finn are shades away from feral. They live off the land, sharing a bond that is impossible to ignore, but they are very different. Liv is matter-of-fact, while Finn seems softer and more vulnerable.

After Finn suffers a brutal injury at the hands of his own father, he and Liv are separated from him when their father is taken to prison. Liv also begins to notice that men in the area have been disappearing. Could the two things be connected?

Twenty years later, Finn and Liv have started new lives in the US. The events of that fateful night are far behind them, but Liv cannot move past them. Should she share her suspicions with the authorities? Does she really want to relive everything in order to prevent the same violence they once fled?

Liv is an interesting character. She is observant, quiet, and definitely not meek. Her interactions with people seem innocent on the surface, but her feelings and intuitions run deep, making for complicated friendships and relationships.

Without giving too many details away, I can say that this story is dark, raw, and filled with emotion. There is a heaviness to it, but it feels right for the story.

This was my first time reading this author, and I would absolutely read her work again.

Recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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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