Chris Quarembo's Readers' Club - September 2025

Chris Quarembo
Aug 31
3 min read

Vol 5 Issue 9

September marks the beginning of autumn, arriving on September 22. This month means back to school, leaves turning from green to shades of yellow and red, days growing shorter, and reaching for a warm sweater when we go out in the morning.

It’s also a time when readers search for alternatives to the beach reads of summer. My recommendations are great choices for a change of pace. They include a legal thriller, a post-cold war spy novel, and a crime novel with multiple story lines. All page turners. Take your pick or read all of the novels. Your time will be well spent.

My Recommendations This Month

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Law clerk Avery Keene finds her life in turmoil when she learns the Supreme Justice she clerks for is in a coma and has designated her as his legal guardian.

Justice Howard Wynn is an expected swing vote on a case deciding the merger of two technology companies, which represent powerful business and political interests. Keene refuses to follow the family’s wishes to remove the justice from life support. Instead, she delves into her suspicions that Wynn was the victim of foul play.

Abrams has created a suspenseful legal thriller that brings readers into the inside world of the Supreme Court. The Avery Keene series also includes Rogue Justice and Coded Justice.

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and former elected official. She served eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives. In addition to her legal thrillers, Abrams has written eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery.

Winter Work by Dan Fesperman

In 1989 Berlin after the fall of the wall, Emil Grimm, a colonel in the East German secret service, discovers the body of his neighbor, who was shot to death. His neighbor, Lothar Fischer, is also a Stasi officer.

Lacking a job or any official status, Grimm investigates Fischer’s murder while making sure to evade the authorities, both old and new.

At the same time, CIA agent Claire Saylor arrives in Berlin ordered to contact a high-ranking Stasi intelligence officer. Eventually, Grimm and Saylor realize the acute dangers of their tasks and decide to work together against powerful enemies, who want them both dead.

Dan Fesperman is a former foreign correspondent based in Berlin. He is the winner of numerous awards for his novels, including Britain’s John Creasey Memorial Dagger award, and the Dashiell Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers.

The Evil Men Do by John McMahon

Detectives P.T. March and Remy Morgan investigate the murder of real estate mogul, Ennis Fultz, who has accumulated a long list of potential enemies, including professional rivals and his ex-wife.

But as the detectives investigate, they discover that Fultz’s death was not a revenge killing. Instead, it was the result of a criminal conspiracy targeting others in their small Georgia town.

In The Evil Men Do, John McMahon has created a crime novel with fully realized characters and multiple story lines. The action continues to pulse forward, eventually tying together the complex plot in a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

The New York Times named this work a “Top Ten Crime Novel of 2020." His novel, Inside Man, is scheduled for release in January, 2026. John McMahon lives in Southern California with his family and rescue dog.

You Feedback Welcomed

Please email me with your feedback whenever you read any of my recommendations. I've heard from a number of subscribers who save these newsletters to refer back to them when searching for a new novel to read. Thanks for that great feedback! I love to spread the word about top-notch crime novels, both best sellers and lesser known works worthy of a wider audience. Watch for my next newsletter in October.

“Reading brings us unknown friends” – Honore de Balzac

About Chris

Chris Quarembo is an award-winning former newspaper reporter. Her debut novel Killer Deals, won an Independent Publisher Award for Excellence in 2024. The Case Files of Philadelphia PI Andrea Fabiano, an anthology, and other short stories in the crime and mystery genre are available on Amazon. She is a member of Sisters in Crime.