Clay Cooper, a prominent business owner, is found dead outside his home. The last person to see Clay alive and hear his final breaths was Charlie, an autistic high school girl, that didn’t necessarily like her skeevy boss. Clay hit on all the underage girls that worked at his businesses, promising them more hours and happier schedules if they accepted dates with him. If they denied his dates, he would make their life a living a living hell.

The list of suspects responsible for Clay’s murder is long, everyone that worked for him hated his guts, but could their hatred be strong enough to kill him? The names on that list are all close to Charlie, and she’ll do anything to protect them.

This book had a good storyline, likable characters, suspense, and multiple mysteries to solve but it just felt bland and far fetched for me. This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but I’m looking forward to reading her others.

This author is auto read for me. She can do no wrong. It’s psychological thriller at its best. I def recommend this book.

This is a good one . This author is good at weaving a spider web of plots that keep you guessing while making you emotionally invested in the characters.
Thanks for letting me review this book to Netgalley and the publisher

Thank you to NetGalley & Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my third book by Wendy Walker and I do enjoy the way she weaves her thrillers out, like a perfectly spun spider web. And the plot of this story was one I haven’t really seen done before, which made it interesting.

Charlie is 17, and autistic and has just witnessed a murder at her work.
She works at the local sandwich shop owned by the town hero Coop, who is now dead. Charlie loves and adores her coworkers from the L & S Sandwich shop, and would do anything to protect them. And after Coops body is found, the police come around to question Charlie who was seen on security footage at the sandwich shop, after closing.
The police, Charlie’s mother, her lawyer, her friends from the sandwich shop, and even an FBI agent are all working to get Charlie to tell them about what she witnessed that night, but Charlie’s brain isn’t working and she can’t figure out who to trust, and who is lying to her.

The twists of this one just kept coming at rapid fire, near the ending, so that was a surprise. I also enjoyed how all the possible unanswered questions you might have were all answered by the end. A quick and fast paced thriller, that I would recommend!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the ARC #AmericanGirl by #WendyWalker. Even though there is plenty of murder and drama in this book, there is also a lot feel good too. This is just another great book for Wendy Walker.

Charlie Hudson is on the autism spectrum, and much like Molly Gray in “The Maid”, her awkwardness makes her seem suspicious when there is a murder. It also makes her trust the people she shouldn’t, and distrust those she should.

Charlie works at a sandwich shop called ‘The Triple S’ to save money for college. She’s quite gifted at math, and has just been accepted to MIT. Like Molly, she lives by a set of rules her mother taught her (the rules remind me a lot of “Zombieland” - I loved them!) and tries her hardest to keep going in a neurotypical world.

Charlie’s boss, Clay Cooper, had a very…creative…way of handling his business affairs, and the FBI and IRS are now investigating not just his death, but his business practices. A very incriminating video is found that shows Charlie inside the restaurant the night Coop was killed in the kitchen. Was this 17-year-old girl a witness…or worse?

I adored this character; she really made the book, which otherwise was your typical murder mystery. The entire book was enjoyable, but the ending was excellent! Everything came together well with some twists I didn’t see coming, and it tied everything together very neatly. This was a really fun read with a great protagonist - four stars.

(Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Wendy Walker and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I appreciated the unique take of an autistic main character.

Charlie is 17, and desperately wants to graduate, and move on to college. Her plans come to a screeching halt when her boss at the local sandwich shop is murdered. Charlie is on surveillance at the scene of the crime, hiding under the counter during the attack, but she won't tell anyone what she knows.

Charlie gets swept up in the case involving money laundering, bad men, CIA, FBI, local police, and she doesn't know who she can trust or who is working for who, but Charlie is smart, and if she follows her own careful set of rules, she can survive. Because someone is ready to kill for the information she has.

I absolutely adored Charlie. She has a tough upbringing with a single mom who remarried a man who refused to acknowledge her as one of their children. She made her own way in life. The book addresses her relationship with her friends, family, and ex-boyfriend who is a rookie on the local police force.

There are a ton of plot twists that I didn't see coming, but if you pay close enough attention, you might. Several people come in and out of Charlie's life, claiming to want to help her, and she needs to figure out who, if any of them, she can trust. There is also a lot of misdirection where the reader assumes one thing is happening, but then finds out that it is something else entirely, which I love in a book.

Overall, this author has become an autoread for me, and I really liked this book.

Charlie, a 17 year old autistic girl, becomes wrapped up in a murder investigation when her boss (who everyone had reason to want dead) turns up dead and Charlie is shown on camera at the shop around his time of death. Charlie does her best to protect her secrets from what happened that night along with her "family" at the Triple S shop.

This is my third book by this author and has definitely become a must-read anytime she releases a new book. I loved Charlie's character and thought she was realistic and reasonable. Her rules and family dynamics were so interesting and I loved the lengths she was willing to go in order to protect the ones she loved. There are a few twists along the way, but nothing too farfetched, which I appreciated.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Such an interesting book about a very special autistic girl who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.

Charlie is seventeen and working her tail off to be able to attend MIT next year after she graduates. She knows her mom can’t afford it, and her stepdad refuses to help, so Charlie is on her own to figure it out.

As such, she’s been working at the Triple S sandwich shop since she was 14. She’s a hard worker and is entrusted with a lot of specific details which her autistic brain is excellent at managing. She feels like her coworkers are more family than her own family. The shop owner is a horrible man named Clay Cooper, who is also the richest man in town. His despicable behavior has landed him on the least liked list. So when he ends up dead, there are plenty of suspects.

But Charlie was there when he was killed. The hidden camera in the shop proves it. Which now puts Charlie in a pretty bad place, because if she says anything, so many people could be hurt. However, saying nothing is putting Charlie in an awful place with the police. What can Charlie possibly do to get herself out of this predicament?

This is not only a whodunit, but a brilliant coming of age story about a teenage girl finding her voice and her strength. Charlie is smart, brave, and a little bit crazy. She’s a perfect teenage heroine for our time.

I have read another book by Wendy Walker (Emma In the Night) that I loved and so I was so nervous for this because I wasn't sure if it would be able to top Emma! But this story was a trip from start to finish. From the first page I was hooked and wanted to find out more about the story and what happened to Coop.

I also loved the narrator Charlie and the very unique way she told the story, including her though process and how she understood the people around her with her autism diagnosis. I loved the way autism was portrayed not as a hindrance to Charlie but just as a different way of categorizing information and feeling emotions. I loved how much Charlie looked out for those around her and she knew that everyone underestimated her but she proved them all wrong time and time again.

There were so many plot twists that just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was wrong! I also loved how the author weaves psychology inter all her stories, which helps you understand the motivations of the characters as you read.

Obviously I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers or fast-paced books!

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

First of all, I love Wendy Walker thrillers!! I loved the small-town vibes of Sawyer, PA, the neurodivergent representation, and of course all of the twists I didn’t see coming. Charlie’s character was beautifully articulated and loved hearing from her POV. So many secrets are uncovered in this complex story!

Thriller lovers——this is a MUST read!!

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one.  I just could not put it down!  The mystery and suspense were completely engrossing.  This is my 3rd book by Wendy Walker, and she never disappoints.  This one has definitely become my favorite.  It was an exclusive audible original and is now coming to print tomorrow!  I'm so happy they did this because I don't really listen to audiobooks.

Charlie Hudson is 17 and almost done with high school.  She's already gotten into MIT, which is her ticket out of Sawyer, PA.  She works as much as she can at a local sandwich shop, The Triple S, to save money for college.  She also happens to be autistic.  The people she works with have become like a family to her, and she will do anything to protect them, especially when they all become suspects in Clay Cooper's death.  Clay Cooper is the owner of The Triple S and not a very likable boss.  Everyone at the shop seems to have a reason to want him dead.  Charlie was there that night but won't speak about it.  What lengths will she go to to make sure nothing happens to the ones she loves?

I loved Charlie!  I thought she was an incredible main character, and I really enjoyed reading from her point of view.  The hardships she's had to work through from her past and of being at the store during the killing made for a compelling read.  The twists in the book were shocking, and the ending was great!  I would love to read another book with Charlie as the main character.  This book was just so good and I highly recommend it.

3.5⭐. I have always enjoyed Wendy Walker's books. She has such a way to pull you into such unique stories, and this one was definitely unique. It's a short book and I got through it quickly. It was good. Probably not my favorite by her, but it still held my attention. It's about Charlie, who has high functioning autism, and works at The Triple S (Sawyer Sandwich Shop). One night, the owner and her boss, Clay, is murdered. Charlie was there the night of the murder. Charlie wants to protect herself and her friends, so she isn't cooperating with law enforcement. She doesn't know who she can trust, and not sure what to say because Clay had so many enemies, and it could be anyone she knows. There are lies and secrets exposed. I also though lt was interesting reading this through the mind of Charlie, and seeing the way her mind works. I thought the ending was good too!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

Wendy Walker is one of authors whose books I will always pick up to read. I follow her diligently since All Is Not Forgotten which blew me away and it was interesting seeing her developing her writing and exploring the boundaries of thriller genre within the trappings of the "psychological" descriptor.
You see, with Walker you get thrillers with introspective characters who are messy and complicated but always with a bird-view attached as well, a psychological insight into their mind that will give you a scientific explanation, but fully knowing it's not enough. It's this dichotomy she perfected in her latest books I enjoy so much.
American Girl, originally an amazon Audio exclusive, is no different in that regard.
Told entirely from the point of view of Charlie, main protagonist of this short novel, it brings a unique take on a "small town in America crime" story.
Charlie's boss who owns basically everything else in Sawyer is found dead at the Triple S where Charlie works. She knows what happened that night but she keeps it to herself for her own reasons., but police and other players are getting frustrated because she is not cooperating.

Now, let's get this over with: It's briefly mentioned that Charlie has an autism, but that in itself is a broad term. Simply said, Charlie is not neurotypical. She has a set of rules she follows that help her navigate the world because she reacts to things differently than most, she has 4,4 GPA score and had been accepted to MIT, but she is by no means savant. Or at least not the one you are used to see in popular media. She is observant because she has to be to fit, but it doesn't mean that observation takes her always to the right conclusion. She is also young and driven by thing that are a bit idealistic: like her need protect her coworkers at Triple S by any means necessary even at the cost of her own safety. Things fly over her head, she makes ridiculous decisions and she does get outsmarted several times in the novel exactly because people doesn't always conform to a set of rules.
Hence, bare in mind that Charlie isn't autistic protag popularized in media. She is socially adaptive even if it doesn't come naturally to her, but it's the Sawyer that is also adaptive to her, which is perfectly reasonable considering what community means in a small town. She is above everything else, an American girl, set in a typical circumstances between a rock and hard place and only one opportunity to get out. The murder and the resolution of it is an extraordinary thing in her situation, which I think Walker wanted to highlight.
One other thing Walker likes to do in her novels is to show the complexity of mother-daughter relationships. I am pleased she managed to do here as well considering it's a shorter novel. Charlie's interactions with her mom were the most interesting parts of the novel for me.
The resolution of the crime and the twist at the end were perhaps predictable, but the nature of the crime somehow gave an impression to me it was not meant to be that deep anyways. In a way, because Charlie is so young, on a path to adulthood, the story seems to be more about motivations that drive and relationships you form in your life and how they form you as a person.

Recommended, especially if you need a gripping, short novel to finish a bingo/challenge that will capture your attention without overwhelming it.

I enjoyed this super fast read from Wendy Walker. It's pure psychological thriller. Charlie, our protagonist, is autistic and is portrayed in a what feels to be a very realistic and organic way. She's shown as a full character, which I appreciate. She's caught up in a crime and must figure out whodunnit to save herself. Total page turner!

I love Walker and her phenomenal storytelling! She can write psychological suspense like nobody’s business!
American Girl by Wendy Walker is a gripping story with vivid characters a skillful narration and an unwavering tension. It all adds up to one fantastic story.
She has created a well-developed story, believable characters with a satisfying ending.
The pacing is perfect and the author reveals additional information at just the right times to keep the tension and suspense high. The ending had my pulse racing and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.
The sense of foreboding and unease was perfectly executed, and I can't wait to see what else this author creates next time.
A immersive and propulsive mystery about a small-town business owner found dead and the teenage girl caught in the crosshairs.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Loved it! Love everything about Wendy Walker. This just might be my favorite of hers! 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review will publish Oct. 31, 2023, in multiple newspapers and magazines. https://admin-chicago2.bloxcms.com/cullmantimes.com/tncms/admin/action/main/preview/site/opinion/columns/a-season-of-reading-a-dozen-titles-for-your-holiday-basket/article_0e224226-6a0d-11ee-ba78-ef64fad95495.html A season of reading: A dozen titles for your holiday basket by Tom Mayer The year-ending, pre-holiday book season is one bibliophiles wait for all year. October and November are traditionally the months we watch as names blockbuster (Grisham, King), rising (Gerritsen, Ward) or just heartwarmingly familiar (McCammon, Dugoni) descend from the upper echelons of ivy towers to the stacks of our local bookstores and online shopping carts. 
This year is no different, though it is marked by a couple of significant deviations to the norm from two stalwart fall-release authors: Stephen King, who makes his own rules, gifted us with “Holly” in early September and Nicholas Sparks — almost unbelievably given his decades-long track record of releases — won’t have a new book for us this year (a fact I had to double check with his publicist, though when I spoke with Nicholas in 2022 about his wonderful book, “Dreamland,” he did promise something completely surprising and different for his next release. Give some grace, get some grace — surprising and different can take time.) 
Still, October and November 2023 are filled with exciting and fresh titles, including a dozen that we’ll touch on here. Far from exhaustive and brief in scope, consider this a primer for the season we’re just dipping into. 
I’ll be laser-focusing on some of these in pullout columns during the next few weeks — and adding more titles for November and December — but send me a quick note at tmayer132435@gmail.com if you want a link to those when they appear. 
For now, happy holidays, book lovers. 

‘One Last Kill’ (Thomas & Mercer, 379 pages, $16.99) by Robert Dugoni 
The prolific Robert Dugoni gifts us with his 10th detective Tracy Crosswhite novel, and in this one the stakes are raised. Set in familiar environs, after 13 victims Tracy reopens the cold trail of Seattle’s Route 99 serial killer. Closure for the families and redemption for the Seattle Police Department are on the line, but if Tracy’s going to achieve either she’ll have to do it by partnering with an old nemesis: Captain Johnny Nolasco. Those who traveled with Tracy through her earlier thrillers know exactly what that means. New readers will soon find out.

 ‘Murder on the Christmas Express’ (Poisoned Pen Press, 272 pages, $24) by Alexandra Benedict 
What’s the holiday season without a murder mystery to help pass the time? A sleeper train en route from London on Christmas Eve is buried in snow in a remote and isolated location. As a killer tries to pick off passengers one by one, a former detective, Roz Parker, decides to give the investigation a go. You’ve been here before, but this locked room puzzle both is and isn’t what you’ll expect. Bon voyage. 

‘Long Past Dues’’ (Ace, 411 pages, $27) by James J. Butcher 
Bringing us into volume 2 of The Unorthodox Chronicles, James J. Butcher now presents Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby as an auditor for Boston’s Department of Unorthodox Affairs. Tasked with enforcing laws about magic, the job sounds more glamorous than it is — which explains why Grimshaw steps outside of his role to take a special case for a friend. Werewolves and a journey to the bowels of Boston’s subterranean city ensue.

 ‘Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird’ (Blackstone Publishing, 659 pages, $28) edited by Jonathan Maberry 
Who doesn’t love a compilation of a century’s worth of stories from one of the world’s most storied publications? Coming from the hallowed halls of “Weird Tales Magazine,” this book is simply beautiful in style, substance and craft (pro tip: buy the hardcover; it’s a gem). Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the magazine, this volume contains 100 years of the most peculiar tales you’ll ever encounter or, as the periodical likes to boast, those “too strange to publish elsewhere.” A true reader’s delight.

‘ The Exchange’ (Doubleday, 352 pages, $30) by John Grisham 
You know you’ve been waiting for this one. Published 32 years after John Grisham’s “The Firm,” the king of legal thrillers picks up the thread of the lives of Mitch and Abby McDeere and family as they’re caught in an international kidnapping plot — and struggling to retain the normalcy they’ve worked 15 years to achieve since they exposed the crimes of the mob-related Memphis law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke. With just enough backstory to fill in the history of those unfamiliar with “The Firm,” Grisham crafts a credible and timely (though it’s set in the mid-2000s) story filled with his hallmarks: greed, crime, deception and more than a bit of heroics. A worthy successor and one, I should mention, completely unlike the 2012 TV series sequel to both the original novel and film adaptation.

 ‘The Spy Coast’ (Thomas & Mercer, 341 pages, $29) by Tess Gerritsen 
The Martini Club continues in Tess Gerritsen’s “The Spy Coast” as former spy Maggie Bird is drawn from her bucolic Maine chicken farm life into a new thriller — something that tends to happen when the body that appears in your driveway is sent as a message from your former adversaries. The former spies, like Bird, may all be retired, but they’re definitely up for a fresh case, and especially a case that involves those who are bent on killing one of their own.

 ‘The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The true story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative’ (Ecco, 432 pages, $40) by Gregg Hecimovich with a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. 
In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement from a North Carolina plantation. Fleeing to a farm in New York, she found time to craft a manuscript about her trials. This important and groundbreaking book about the nation’s first Black female novelist comes from the biographer who first solved the mystery of her identity. 

‘American Girl’ (Blackstone Publishing, 246 pages, $27) by Wendy Walker 
This important thriller from best-selling author Wendy Walker introduces Charlie Hudson, an autistic teen with a desire to leave her small, Pennsylvania town as soon as she graduates. But first, when the owner of the sandwich shop at which Wendy works is found dead, the 17-year-old and her friends are drawn into a dangerous case with an unusual point of view: The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist. 

'Let Us Descend' (Scribner, 320 pages, $28) by Jesmyn Ward 
Jesmyn Ward is a two-time National Book winner, and “Let Us Descend” shows us why. This tale, a reimagining of American slavery, is a beautifully harsh read. The story comes to us from Annis, a slave sold south by her white enslaver father and her heart-wrenching journey is punctuated only by the fleeting comfort of memories of her mother and African warrior grandmother. An emotional narrative rich in description.

 'The Last Applicant’ (Lake Union Publishing, 317 pages, $29) by Rebecca Hanover 
A deep dive into this ripped-from-the-headlines story by Rebecca Hanover takes us into the life of Audrey Singer, an admissions director of an elite private school in Manhattan. One overachieving mother will do anything — anything — to get her son enrolled, but as the ploys escalate it rapidly becomes clear that this might not be all she is after. Secrets are threatened to be revealed as this tale takes a deep, dark turn. 

‘Seven Shades of Evil’ (Lividian Publications, 424 pages, $39.50) by Robert McCammon 
You had me at, Robert McCammon. Literally, I would buy anything with this Alabama author’s name on it, but you’ll never go afield picking up a book involving Matthew Corbett. This volume of short stories, the ninth installment in that world, is the penultimate volume of the Corbett series — a tremendous set of historical thrillers that have been drawing legions of readers into Early America for more than two decades.

 ‘Robots through the Ages: A Science Fiction Anthology’ (Blackstone, 495 pages, $26) by Robert Silverberg (introduction) and Bryan Thomas Schmidt (editor) 
OK, I’m cheating a bit by including ‘Robots’ in this list — it first published during the summer — but with the conflation of technology and well, our entire world, igniting in the form of AI at an exponential pace, this is one that more than a few readers would welcome under the tree. A vast and inclusive sweep of robot stories told through the ages (really, we begin the journey with “The Iliad”), this volume includes tales from the heroes of science fiction, including names such as Philip K. Dick, Seanan McGuire, Connie Willis and Roger Zelazny. A fascinating journey, “Robots through the Ages” is replete with prescient tales of today.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a digital copy of this title for my honest opinion.

American Girl by Wendy Walker is a fast-paced mystery thriller set in a small town. Charlie, an autistic teenager has to find out who killed her sleazy boss and why. The book has great character development and kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't recommend it enough. You will be rooting for Charlie until the end!

One of the most unique stories Wendy Walker has told yet, featuring an unforgettable main character and the twisty, deep secrets of complicated dead end small towns. It's an excellent mystery with so many complications and turns, but Walker is a total master at navigating readers through.