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This book is an absolute delight! Richard Osman's cozy mystery charmed me from the start with its clever plot, endearing characters, and witty humor. It follows four retirees in a peaceful village who meet weekly to investigate cold cases. When a real murder happens nearby, they jump at the chance to put their skills to the test.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron are the heart of this story. Their banter and friendship are a joy to read, and their unique strengths make them a formidable team. Osman's writing is sharp and filled with heartwarming observations about life and aging. The mystery is well-crafted, with twists that kept me guessing until the very end.

Beyond the mystery, this book celebrates friendship, community, and the wisdom of older adults. It's a reminder that it's never too late to find purpose and excitement, and it left me feeling uplifted and entertained. If you're looking for a charming and witty cozy mystery with unforgettable characters, The Thursday Murder Club is the perfect pick!

Thunderhead takes readers on another journey into a world where death has been conquered and Scythes maintain population control through gleaning. While not quite reaching the heights of its predecessor, Thunderhead delivers a captivating narrative with shocking twists that will leave readers reeling.

Citra’s unwavering compassion and dedication to justice clash with the brutal realities of gleaning and the treacherous political landscape of the Scythedom, the one segment of society ungoverned by the Thunderhead. Citra does navigate the surprises of this novel with a wisdom beyond her years.

Rowan, now the elusive Scythe Lucifer, embraces his role as a vigilante, targeting corrupt Scythes who abuse their power. His relentless pursuit of justice leads him down a dark path, blurring the lines between good and evil. I wonder if the Thunderhead did have some influence over the Scythedom if it would have created a role like Scythe Lucifer as a means to keep Scythes on track with their own laws.

Greyson Tolliver, a new character, finds himself thrust into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens to unravel the very fabric of society. His unwavering integrity and determination to uncover the truth make him a target for those who seek to maintain the status quo. Greyson's journey of self-discovery and his unwavering pursuit of justice offer a glimmer of hope in a world on the brink of chaos. And, in the end, he may be humanities only hope.

The climactic ending of Thunderhead is nothing short of shocking. The actions of a certain character, Godard, will leave readers speechless and questioning everything they thought they knew about the world and its inhabitants. This bold twist sets the stage for the final installment of the trilogy, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the resolution of this complex and thought-provoking narrative.

Throughout my reading, I wondered when the main story of Jason, Leo, and Piper would intersect with the search for Percy. I wish I’d caught on earlier to the larger picture, but I did manage to put it together before the big reveal toward the end.

Never during this adventure did I think it would be a self-contained story. Despite knowing it’s a five book series, just the text itself makes it clear this is an introduction to new main characters, and they need their own story to avoid being overshadowed by those characters we know and love already.

The new prophecy tells us we’ll be balancing between seven major heroes. Obviously, our new three plus Percy and Annabeth make five, but who will the final two be? Thalia? Grover? Nicco? Someone new? That’s a lot of characters to keep up with. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the follow-up books are as good as this one.

I’m not a big fan of the lost memory trope, but in the larger scope of the series, it plays an integral part in bringing characters together, so I really admire Riordan’s use of it here. And, even at the end, I’m wondering what we’ll discover about Jason that he’s just now remembering.

Finally, I love how Riordan is using the Greek and Roman aspects of the gods, their differences, and even how those differences have created Earthly conflict. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series, and if he does something similar with the Egyptian and Norse gods, I might continue with the other series.

This is a great start to a series.

The opening of this book is pretty solid for creating suspense on the topic, then Hill moves into the history of facial recognition, which slows the narrative considerably; however, the book is well worth sticking with. Once the author moves into use cases and stories, the danger of ubiquitous facial recognition becomes pretty clear.

One of the reviews I read would like Hill to lean away from politics, particularly because she’s clearly anti-Trump, probably because he’s made it very clear that he’ll use any means necessary to punish his “enemies.”

I don’t have any issues with either the overt or implied integration of politics in this book because the use of facial recognition will be (is?) inherently political. What happens when someone comes into power in the U.S. or another country whose views I don’t agree with?

Whether that person is a local sheriff or the POTUS doesn’t really matter. Technology can be weaponized against anyone, so avoiding the political lens is nearly as dangerous as the technology itself. We must consider both the positive and negative use cases, and then create barriers to limit the negative uses of the technology if possible.

Hill does a nice job telling the emotional story of the technology. Reading the tale of the man mis-identified by ClearView, arrested without followup evidence, and then held for a few days is heartbreaking. I hope his family gets a good settlement and the deputies in that story learn a powerful lesson, something better than, “Oh, hey, he really doesn’t look like the guy in this photo. Maybe we should have done more checking first.”

While ClearView-level facial recognition can solve a lot of problems like making it easier to separate and identify looters and rioters during a protest, it will also make it easier for the opposing side to identify and harass those participating in a legal protest. It provides tools for stalkers to unmask the pseudonyms of sex workers, making them less safe. It will make separating oneself from the past, getting a fresh start nearly impossible. Witness protection will be dead.

This technology makes the unforgiving nature of the internet just that much more permanent.