Get Cozy and Get Lost

New cozy mysteries, Everything Lost Returns, Escape!, Scale Boy, and more ...

February 19, 2026

BookBrowse Highlights

Hello Readers!

This week, we bring you some diverting First Impressions reads to sweep you away. Yosha Gunasekera’s The Midnight Taxi offers a cozy New York mystery about a taxi driver who finds herself confronted with a murder, and Sarah Domet’s Everything Lost Returns follows two women in different timelines with a cosmic connection.

You can also get lost in our discussion of Fergus Craig’s darkly comic story of a former serial killer in a new retirement community, I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home.

For the ultimate escape, look no further than Stephen Fishbach’s debut Escape!, our latest Editor’s Choice feature, which brings the human drama and intrigue of reality television to a literary fiction format.

Plus, we highlight Patrice Nganang’s Cameroon trilogy along with our coverage of his coming-of-age memoir Scale Boy, and more than a hundred other recommended books set in African countries.

Thanks for reading,

The BookBrowse Team

First Impressions

Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on two recently released titles.

The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera

“Mixing genuine humor with serious tones involving racism, the plight of the working class, the criminal justice system, and other real societal issues, Yosha Gunasekera delivers a fresh mystery novel involving a Sri Lankan taxi driver that kept me engaged until the very end…The author's description of all the boroughs and hidden places of New York City really added to the narrative. Her heroine's constant search for the perfect bodega food and her descriptions of life for working-class immigrants were spot on and gave the story added color. This is one of the most unique stories I have read in years…I can't wait to read the next novel in what I hope becomes a series.” —Kevin H. (Littleton, CO)

“People who enjoy cozy mysteries will like this book. I also think it would make a great book club selection.” —Elizabeth D. (Apple Valley, MN)

“I was impressed even before I remembered that this was Gunasekera's debut novel. I immediately liked Siri's character, especially her self-deprecating wit. The story itself was also easy to get caught up in.” —Mark S. (Blauvelt, NY)

Everything Lost Returns by Sarah Domet

“Wow!…Everything Lost Returns by Sarah Domet gives you everything you need to make an enjoyable read. You have two strong ladies, Opal Doucet in 1910 and Nora Dixon in 1986. They are both caught up in the turmoil of their own lives. They may also be able to channel each other and feel each other's pain. Nora's life starts out with a terrific opportunity. Opal's not so much, only choices made for her by others. Along the way in this novel, you have a mystery, spiritual experiences, characters who are not what they pretend to be, and even romance. I genuinely enjoyed this book very much.” —Nancy D. (Bradenton, FL)

“A feminist story told through the eyes of factory workers, mothers, and homemakers. And a story of how the cosmetic/household products industry targeted women, leading to harmful unregulated products, and the powerlessness of women. A fascinating story. I highly recommend Everything Lost Returns.” —Sonya M. (Takoma Park, MD)

“Would make a good book club book with so many potential topics for discussion.” —Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)

Book Club Discussions

Discussions are open to all! If you’d like to participate, you can do so by creating an account here. Please note that discussions can contain spoilers.

I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig

From the Jacket

After a decades-long stint in prison, former serial killer Carol is looking to kick back and relax in her new retirement home...until a fellow resident drops dead and Carol has to prove she actually didn't do it this time....

From the Discussion

“This book was not one I would usually put on my TBR. However, a few pages in and I was hooked on this wickedly clever blended story of dark humor and cozy crime. Craig brilliantly balances satire with suspense while creating this playful yet riveting storyline. He asks... whether redemption is possible; can the past ever truly stay buried?” —Carol_N

“I would recommend this to readers who love cozy mysteries or are puzzle enthusiasts. This book definitely reminded me of the Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club series and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto.” —Deborah_C1

See what people are saying in response to this question: Geoffrey mourns the loss of his identity, feeling “irrelevant.” “Old ladies, at least they were still in charge of the grandchildren’s birthday cards,” he thinks. Is it true that women have more of a place in society as they age than men do?

Editor’s Choice

Escape! by Stephen Fishbach

When Kent Duvall was first cast on Endure (a fictional reality television series modeled heavily after CBS's Survivor) years ago, he was the golden boy: long-haired and muscular, he stepped into the role of alpha male, won challenges, speared a boar in the jungle, and charmed his way into winning the season. Now, middle-aged, unemployed, and struggling with his marriage, Kent feels like a shadow of his former self. When he's given the opportunity to go on Escape!, a daring new survival show by well-known producer Jacob Malibu, Kent sees this as a chance for redemption—to prove to the world, and especially to himself, that he still has what it takes to be the hero of his story. … continued

Review by Rachel Hullett

Beyond the Book

Patrice Nganang's Cameroon Trilogy

In Scale Boy, author Patrice Nganang relates his colorful childhood in the evolving post-colonial world of Cameroon and his love of books, reading, and writing. Nganang left Cameroon to pursue a Ph.D. in Germany and now teaches comparative literature at Stony Brook University in New York. His most renowned novels are the Cameroon trilogy, spotlighting a transformative period in Cameroon's history through the eyes of diverse fictional characters. … continued

Article by Peggy Kurkowski

Books Set in Africa

Patrice Nganang’s memoir Scale Boy, about coming of age in Cameroon, is just one of 140+ recommended titles in our category of books set in Africa.

These include both fiction and nonfiction narratives spanning histories of colonialism and independence as well as contemporary life, viewable by subcategory across Eastern Africa, Middle and Southern Africa, and Northern and Western Africa.

This is one of 100+ themed categories available to BookBrowse members. Non-members can view a limited version of our category lists.

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