Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #622: Big Cult Energy by Jack Friday

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings

From the publisher:

Jack Friday's wickedly funny and irrepressible PI Peter Key returns with two new baffling cases.

After surviving a brush with death, Peter Key is debating if he wants to stay in the detective game. On the one hand, his last case left him with a house in Austin, a loyal dog and enough money to coast for ages. On the other, his new home is a wreck, and there’s no better cure for wealth than foundation repairs.

Luckily for Peter, two lucrative cases fall into his lap within twenty-four hours. First, a pair of good-looking young people arrive with a carful of packages addressed to a man they’ve never heard of. The packages have been arriving at their home for days with no explanation, which would be weird enough. Now, however, menacing strangers have started turning up at their doorstep looking for this same mystery man. These strangers wear robes, sandals, and big cult energy.

The next morning, as Peter returns to work for his former mentor—the unflappable PI Grady Bernaisse—he’s handed a second case. A curmudgeonly old woman from the deep country arrives with a surreal story about how a box of her dead grandson’s belongings were stolen from her while she was trapped in the floor of her house. Peter can’t shake the feeling there’s something the woman isn’t telling him, but he also can’t pass up the reward she’s promising.

As these strange investigations unfold, Peter’s search for answers will take him from a tech billionaire’s mansion to the state penitentiary, from a tiny town with some rotten secrets to a remote compound with some dangerous fauna. It will introduce him to a con artist and an honest-to-God cowboy, a pair of very hungry mountain lions and the devoted followers of Lizard-Jesus. Strangest of all, Peter will soon come to suspect that these two cases might not be so separate after all.

Big Cult Energy by Jack Friday is expected out June 1, 2027 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? The first book in the series, Killer Vibes, was entertaining. It had a good mystery, interesting characters, had some humor, and was well-written. I expect that Big Cult Energy would be similar. "Now, however, menacing strangers have started turning up at their doorstep looking for this same mystery man. These strangers wear robes, sandals, and big cult energy." Makes me think that there is humor to it as well as interesting characters. And add that the two cases, as different as they may seem, might be connected, and it sounds quite possibly entertaining. I want to know what happens to Peter. And I want to know more about the devotees to Lizard-Jesus as well.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 One would think she'd at least pretend grief. Instead, like a rat fleeing a sinking ship, she'd switched men. 

...

Also, she hadn't exactly traded up. 

57% through on my Kindle. Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern was released March 10, 2026 from J & M Press.

Book Review: The Mystic And the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle

 

From the publisher:

Drew Benson can read tarot cards and get impressions from objects—she just never expected to use her gifts to investigate an infamous cold case.

Drew Benson has a secret. She gets visions, something she hasn’t tapped into since she was a teenager, when her late aunt, a TV psychic known as Hannah Mystic, became the scapegoat in the unsolved disappearance of a local teenager. Twenty years later, Drew is happy to ignore her gift, focusing instead on keeping the metaphysical shop she inherited from Hannah afloat, wrangling her sole, astrology-obsessed employee, and dodging local rake Foster Banks in her picturesque lakeside hometown.

But when Drew's arch-nemesis from high school, now a big city reporter, decides to investigate the cold case from all those years ago, it’s Drew’s ability that could finally make a break in the decades old mystery. With bills piling up, a disapproving mother laying on the guilt, and a local vandal who wants Drew and her witchy store gone, Drew has a lot to lose. But what she stands to gain—finding out what happened to the missing teen, clearing her aunt’s name, and a second chance at belonging—could change everything.

My Thoughts: I didn't get the impression that her aunt was on the tv on a regular basis, but she certainly was while she was trying to help the police find a missing teenager. Years later the task falls to Drew when she realizes one of the key words from her aunt's reading is personal. I really liked Drew. It was interesting how she read the cards and explained their meanings. Her ability to get information by holding objects proved useful as well. 

I thought the mystery was well done. I didn't anticipate the ending fully. There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing. It was a little slow in the beginning, but it moved along well enough as the book progressed. There is the big mystery of the missing girl, but also a smaller mystery as to who is vandalizing Drew's store.

The descriptions from the Witches' New Year's Celebration were also interesting. I liked how it seems to blend more than one tradition into a coherent celebration.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well written. The characters are interesting. The way the mystery progresses is logical and creative. And I liked the use of the tarot cards and psychic readings. If you like your mysteries with a touch of the paranormal, then this would be a good book for you. It's a perfect read for spooky season.

The Mystic And the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle was released September 8, 2026 from Minotaur Books.

I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #621:Very Bad Neighbors by Sue Hincenbergs

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

A suburban mom dying to fit in must uncover the hidden secrets of her new neighborhood—and thwart a murder plot—in this laugh-out-loud, irreverent, and twisty mystery for fans of Bad Summer People and Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.

Soph has spent her adult life keeping others at a distance. Being married to a hitman, she’s had to maintain a low profile. But after closing that dark chapter, she and Mike move their young family across the country, ready to finally live a normal life.

This town will be nothing like the last: they’ll settle in, go to backyard barbecues with their kids, and make friends.

But their dream threatens to explode before it’s even begun when they learn someone’s put a hit out on one of their new neighbors. What could be going on in this sleepy hollow that calls for murder?

And since murder means questions—from the police and the media—there’s no way Soph and Mike can let that happen. But trying to stop the killing is about to land her in the middle of the neighborhood’s darkest secret, and soon she’ll discover these picket fences can be sharp as knives…

Very Bad Neighbors by Sue Hincenbergs is expected out March 23, 2027 from William Morrow.

Why am I waiting on this book? I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Retirement Plan. It was funny, twisty, and kinda on the outrageous side. This one sounds equally as good. And it compares the book to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It which is also funny and full of shenanigans.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

Alex knew she had a talent for mistakes, a way of turning error into outright disaster. Gift became curse, opportunity became some fresh chance at horror.

The teaser is from page 3 of the hardcover of Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo. This is the third book in the Ninth House Trilogy. It was released September 15, 2026 from Flatiron Books. I borrowed my copy from my local library.

What are you reading?

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #620:The Pendleton Family's Guide to Accidental Murder by Brianna Heath

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: 

For fans of Benjamin Stevenson and How to Solve Your Own Murder comes a wickedly fun whodunnit following a dysfunctional family of criminals who discover a fresh corpse no one cops to killing. With suspicions flying, it's only a matter of time before one last, spectacular crime brings the whole clan crashing down… In this family of criminals, everyone is a suspect. Emmeline Pendleton has been dealing with criminals her whole life. Or, as she calls them, her family. For generations, the Pendleton family has proudly produced a long line of thieves, forgers, grifters, and killers who live by three simple rules: no secrets amongst family, no harming one another, and absolutely no committing crimes on the family estate. When Em hosts a celebration for their grandfather's 90th birthday, the family's grand estate fills up with relatives. But even Em's most meticulous planning spreadsheets couldn't account for a dead body crashing the party. Although each person claims not to be involved, Em is certain the culprit is at this party, and their secrets could endanger everyone. Em will do anything to protect her family, but the killer isn't the only one with something to hide, and the secrets she uncovers may tear the Pendletons apart forever.

The Pendleton Family's Guide to Accidental Murder by Brianna Heath is expected out April 27, 2027 from Poisoned Pen Press.

Why am I waiting on this book? It does remind me of the Benjamin Stevenson book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. A family of criminals with a code sounds interesting. And what do they do when it would seem someone in the family has broken the code? I want to know.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: To All the Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

I’m sure we’ll discover that we have loads of other things in common. Apart from our father’s passion for killing. And where better to build our sisterly bond than here, in Hollywood, tied by blood and our mission – to find Aidan Ward.

Brent, Katy. To All the Men I’ve Killed Before: The brand new dark, twisted and hilarious psychological thriller for 2026 from the bestselling author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It (Kitty Collins series (p. 9). Kindle Edition.