Tag / Greer Hendricks

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Book 50 (of 52) – The Locked Ward

The Locked Ward – Sarah Pekkanen

Mandy, who took over the family bar after her parents’ deaths, has her world turned upside down when she finds out that 1) she has a twin sister named Georgia and 2) Georgia is locked in a psychiatric ward accused of murder.  Believing her newfound family is innocent, Mandy digs into Georgia’s life, looking for anything that might prove her innocence.  The closer she gets, however, the more her own life is in danger, leading to a final gambit that she hopes will save her sister’s life.

Sarah Pekkanen returns with her latest solo effort, The Locked Ward, her third straight outing without longtime collaborator Greer Hendricks.  She tells an intriguing tale with an unnecessary twist at the very end.  Despite that, this was another enjoyable read from her and I look forward to what she comes up with next.

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Prolific Authors – Six Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the four authors I’ve read six times, two more than two years ago.

Swan Song – Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand

The best-selling author of novels set on her home island of Nantucket added four new novels to my read shelf these past two years.

David Mack

All six of his entries come from Star Trek: The Next Generation works I’ve read on my Kindle.

Sarah Pekkanen

She has teamed up with Greer Hendricks for four novels but has branched out on her own again in recent years.

Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs

The creator of the books that were the inspiration for Bones, she has been rising steadily as I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for the novel series.

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Prolific Authors – Four Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the fourteen authors I’ve read two times, up four from two years ago.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

Suzanne Collins

A return to the world of the Hunger Games brought Collins back to my reading list in 2024.

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned into one of my favorite authors, though she still hasn’t written a new full-length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

The Book of Lost and Found – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

A recent favorite, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021 until this year, although there are still five months to go.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

Lee Goldberg

A writer for the Monk television series who went on to pen a series of tie-in novels about the show.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins

The best-selling author of The Girl on the Train, her latest novel was released last year and read in early 2025.

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020 until this year.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuted on my reading list with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins-Reid

I first came her work thanks to her smash Daisy Jones & The Six.  Her latest is currently on my waitlist at the library, so she will continue to move up this list.

Minka Kent

Two new reads in 2024, The Stillwater Girls and Unmissing, push her up this list.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Book 50 (of 52) – House Of Glass

House Of Glass – Sarah Pekkanen

When a lawyer is appointed to represent a young girl whose parents are going through a nasty divorce following the suspicious death of the girl’s nanny, she finds, at first, a kindred spirit, going through the same trauma she did as a child.  The more time she spends with the girl and her family, she starts to think that the girl is responsible for the death and is inspired to look into the death of her own mother.  When her world is rocked by what she finds out about her own past, can she find out what is truly happening with the young girl and her providers?

Sarah Pekkanen returns with her latest solo effort, House of Glass, her second straight outing without longtime collaborator Greer Hendricks.  She tells an intriguing tale, toying with the stereotypical evil child trope before going down a different path.  I look forward to what she comes up with next, either alone or in collaboration with others.

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Book 11 (of 52) – Gone Tonight

Gone Tonight – Sarah Pekkanen

Ruth Sterling has always kept the details of her past from her daughter Catherine.  When Catherine starts digging into that past in light of her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, what she finds stuns her: her mother has been lying about everything, including her disease.  The more Catherine digs, the closer she comes to the painful truth, one Ruth has been hiding from and preparing for, for the past two decades.

Gone Tonight is my first solo experience with Sarah Pekkanen, who I have previously only read in her team-ups with Greer Hendricks.  In this outing, she switches chapters back and forth between Ruth and Catherine’s point of view, giving the reader insights from each character that the other doesn’t share.  It is an interesting set-up for what, ultimately, is a familiar tale, of a woman and her child hiding from a mysterious past.  I shall be looking out for more of Pekkanen’s work, either on her own or in collaboration with others.

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Prolific Authors – 4 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three years, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the ten authors I’ve read four times, an increase of four over the past two years.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

The Big Nowhere – James Ellroy

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned in to one of my favorite authors, though she hasn’t written a new full length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

Rebecca Forster

One of my first Kindle finds, I’ve read the first four entries in her Witness series.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

You Are Not Alone – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuts thanks to the four novels I’ve read over the past three years, starting with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Kimberly McCreight – Reconstructing Amelia

Kimberly McCreight

A New York Times bestselling author thanks to her debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia, she has been a steady presence since 2013.

Sarah Pekkanen

She has teamed up with Greer Hendricks for four novels, one of which I’ve read one annually since 2020.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Book 26 (of 52) – The Golden Couple

The Golden Couple – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

When a therapist takes on a new couple, dealing with infidelity, as clients, she ends up finding them more than she initially expected.  As she digs deeper into their relationship, she finds that not all is as it appears, with secrets upon secrets.  Can she save their marriage?  Or is that what is putting them in danger?

The Golden Couple, the fourth collaboration between Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, switches narrators between Avery, the former therapist with a new approach to treating patients, and Marissa, a woman who cheated on her husband and is trying to put her marriage back together.  Things move at a good pace from the start, and the tension rises to a satisfying, if somewhat obvious, climax.  I’ll certainly be on the lookout for whatever comes next from this pair.

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Book 31 (of 52) – You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

After a 30-something data researcher living in New York City witnesses a suicide, she is inexplicably drawn to the friends of the dead woman.  While she sees a lifeline from her life of loneliness, she instead is being played for a patsy by the group of friends, who have banded together to get revenge over people who have wronged someone and deserves a comeuppance.  Can she stay a step ahead of them and the police while trying to figure out what’s been going on?

You Are Not Alone, the third collaboration between Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, continues the positive trend of improvement from their first work, which had pacing problems.  Things move at a good pace from the start, and the tension rises to a satisfying climax.  This author team has a fourth offering out, which I’m sure to be on the lookout for at the local public library.

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Prolific Authors Wrap Up

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we wrap things up with a look back at the 77 authors I’ve read more than once.

Largest Increase (since 2019)

The Knife Slipped – Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner – 5
Jeffrey Deaver – 3
Karin Slaughter – 3
Tom Perrotta – 3
Riley Sager – 2
Greer Hendricks – 2
Sarah Pekkanen – 2

Largest Increase (since 2011)

Deadly Heat – Richard Castle

Richard Castle – 13
Jeffrey Deaver – 10
Erle Stanley Gardner – 9
J.K. Rowling – 7
Mary Kubica – 6
David Mack – 6
Karin Slaughter – 6

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Prolific Authors – 2 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we start things off with the 35 authors I’ve read twice.

Max Barry

An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away last year.

The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of  the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Diane Duane

Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

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