Devi Nair
📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 352 pages ⏱ 5 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Berkley ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. To be published June 9, 2026.
Here's the thing about reunion stories: they live or die by whether you actually believe these people have history. Liza Tully absolutely nails it. The sorority backstory in The Forty-Year Grudge doesn't feel like a plot device, it feels like sediment. Forty years of small betrayals, unspoken resentments, and friendships that calcified into obligation. By the time the murder happens, you've already got a shortlist of suspects just from the passive-aggressive dinner conversation. That's good writing.
And then there's Merritt and Blunt, doing their thing. If you read the first book, you know the dynamic: Merritt is your armchair genius, sharp and frustratingly still, while Blunt is out here hustling for clues like she's submitting extra credit. What I love is that Tully gives Blunt her moments this time around. She earns a few of those clues herself, and it genuinely matters to the resolution. Watching Blunt grow into her detective instincts while Merritt runs her quiet, brilliant magic is the real pleasure of this series. The emotional stakes are higher here too, Merritt is protecting a friend, and she KNOWS she's not objective, which adds a wonderful layer of tension to every deduction she makes.
The mystery itself is solid: twisty enough to keep you guessing, though not impossible to piece together if you’re paying attention. And then there’s the atmosphere of old friendships, buried grudges, and that delicious sense that no one here is entirely innocent. Liza Tully balances humor and tension well, keeping things light without losing the emotional undercurrent. Cozy, yes, but with just enough bite.
Would I recommend it? The sorority grudge plot is juicy without being soapy, the Merritt & Blunt dynamic keeps getting better, and the ending ties it all up with a satisfying snap. It’s a warm, engaging follow-up that builds on what worked in the first book while giving us a slightly deeper emotional hook.
📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 352 pages ⏱ 5 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Berkley ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. To be published June 9, 2026.
Here's the thing about reunion stories: they live or die by whether you actually believe these people have history. Liza Tully absolutely nails it. The sorority backstory in The Forty-Year Grudge doesn't feel like a plot device, it feels like sediment. Forty years of small betrayals, unspoken resentments, and friendships that calcified into obligation. By the time the murder happens, you've already got a shortlist of suspects just from the passive-aggressive dinner conversation. That's good writing.
And then there's Merritt and Blunt, doing their thing. If you read the first book, you know the dynamic: Merritt is your armchair genius, sharp and frustratingly still, while Blunt is out here hustling for clues like she's submitting extra credit. What I love is that Tully gives Blunt her moments this time around. She earns a few of those clues herself, and it genuinely matters to the resolution. Watching Blunt grow into her detective instincts while Merritt runs her quiet, brilliant magic is the real pleasure of this series. The emotional stakes are higher here too, Merritt is protecting a friend, and she KNOWS she's not objective, which adds a wonderful layer of tension to every deduction she makes.
The mystery itself is solid: twisty enough to keep you guessing, though not impossible to piece together if you’re paying attention. And then there’s the atmosphere of old friendships, buried grudges, and that delicious sense that no one here is entirely innocent. Liza Tully balances humor and tension well, keeping things light without losing the emotional undercurrent. Cozy, yes, but with just enough bite.
Would I recommend it? The sorority grudge plot is juicy without being soapy, the Merritt & Blunt dynamic keeps getting better, and the ending ties it all up with a satisfying snap. It’s a warm, engaging follow-up that builds on what worked in the first book while giving us a slightly deeper emotional hook.