Welcome to Margin Notes
A blog and newsletter from Ibrah Reads.
Below you’ll find all articles in chronological order.
If you prefer to browse by category or tag, please click on the icons to the right or in any post and it will filter the posts displayed below.
Book Review: One of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh (Eddie Flynn #10)
If you haven’t gotten into the Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanagh, you might be missing out. Eddie is a criminal defense attorney who uses his con artist background to his advantage in the courtroom. There are already nine primary books in the series and the 10th, One of Us Is Guilty, comes out in March 2027.
Book Review: Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean (Chelsey Calhoun #2)
Emiko Jean has become such a reliable author for me and Before You Were Anne was no exception. It’s the sequel to The Return of Ellie Black and the second in the detective Chelsey Calhoun series. As she unfolds the case we get to see the story from three perspectives, giving voice to the main women in the novel.
Book Review: Good People by Patmeena Sabit
I was thinking about Zorah Sharaf for a few days after I turned the last page. The publisher described it as a “literary game of ping pong” and that is exactly what it felt like.
Book Review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen was a bingeable mystery from one of my auto-read authors; I devoured it in a weekend. If you enjoy a “who did it” mystery with questionable characters, this is a great choice.
Book Review: Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a bingeable thriller I could not put down. In it we meet Cassie and Billie, two childhood friends who have drifted apart in adulthood. Billie longs to reconnect, but Cassie is in her own world of Instagram influencing, motherhood, and socialite life. One night something tragic happens with Cassie and it catapults these friends back together.
Book Review: The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth is a dual timeline, dual perspective mystery that kept the pages turning. In it we meet two women, Pippa and Amanda, and we alternate between their narratives. But did she jump? Did Pippa’s husband, Gabe, push her? Those are the questions the book is anchored on.
More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez
More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez was an interesting dual-timeline crime mystery, told from dual POVs. The first is a woman at the center of a two-husband double life, Lore, and the second is a true crime blogger, Cassie.
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
Jackal by Erin E. Adams is a book I have been eagerly awaiting. The cover is attention grabbing, the book description is tense, and I love a debut author – especially in thrillers.
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
All the Dangerous Things is Stacy Willingham’s second thriller, and it came in as a strong follow-up, with a grim storyline. In it we meet Isabelle, whose son, Mason, was kidnapped from his bedroom a year prior.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
It’s no secret that I love Tiffany D. Jackson and have been eagerly waiting for her latest book, The Weight of Blood, to release. It did not disappoint! It has her classic YA horror style and, of course, a systemic issue in the spotlight.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham was a solid debut suspense novel that kept me guessing. In it we meet Chloe, whose dad was convicted of murdering six teenage girls during her childhood.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Multiple people have told me to read Rock Paper Scissors and I understand why. I followed the false leads and when the big twist happened… I was shocked. I had to recalibrate everything I had read up until that point.
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson a slow burn novel that blends an intelligence mystery with the protagonist’s personal reflection on her career and life.