The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright by Casey Sherman

 

 

The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise by Casey Sherman. Sourcebooks, 2026. Adult Nonfiction. 720.92

Known for his architectural career and such creations as Taliesin, Taliesin West, and Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright was a man surrounded by women. From his mother to his first wife Kittty with whom he shared six children, he worked to support them all and build a reputation in the world. But, when he fell in love with a married woman with two children, he left them behind to live with Mamah Borthwick Cheney who Frank called his soulmate and wife.  They left America and lived in Berlin for a time. Mamah translated works and had her own career.

In 1914 at Taliesin, the home he built for them in Spring Green, Wisconsin, a hired man, Julian Carleton set fire to the house and killed seven people including Mamah and her children. The tragedy and grisly deaths made newspaper headlines across the world. Many thought this was all Divine Intervention due to their "love nest" and abandoning their former spouses and children.

Not long after, Maude Miriam Noel, a 45 year old expatriate living in Paris, contacted Frank with sympathy. They were soon living together, traveling to Japan for Frank's work, and finally did marry. But, Miriam was jealous and a bit unhinged herself. Kitty also did not approve of the love affair and tried to utilize the Mann Act of 1910 which arrested people who crossed state lines for immoral purposes. They were arrested and the headlines featured them again. They couple ultimately split up after Miriam caused further troubles when Frank found a new love, Olgivanna Milanoff, a Russian young woman with a small daughter.  After some time, Frankd and Olgivanna married. 

Frank and Olgivana had a daughter themselves and moved West, still making news, but with Frank's work gaining prominence and fame including the Guggenheim. Kitty died in 1959. Frank died April 9, 1959 after 30 years of marriage to Olgivanna. He was buried in Spring Green, Wisconsin along side of Mamah. 

Sherman documents his research well. The narrative features both biographic and work- related details about Wright. Several small black and white illustrations are included. 

 

An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln by Lois Romano

 

An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial,  and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln  by Lois Romano. Simon & Schuster, 2026. Biography. Nonfiction.

   This is the book I have longed for! I firmly believe that Mary Todd Lincoln was difficult and perhaps her own worst enemy, but that she got a raw deal in history. Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana sold some of their worn dresses, but they were never crucified in print for it like Mrs. Lincoln was.  Other  First Ladies have had their own mental crises, but never so public a scandal as their own sons taking them to court and having them locked up in a mental asylum.  History was not kind to Mary Lincoln.

    And, now along comes Lois Romano to set the record straight. And, how she does! In this 463 page examination of Mrs. Lincoln's life, family, and contributions to her husband's career, Romano includes a timeline, bibliography, notes, index, and photos. In fact, from page 297 onward are "back matter" documenting her research. The book is interesting, well written, and gives new perspective to the subject.

    If you are not really into Mary Todd Lincoln, but just curious, I recommend that readers pick up this title and just read the prologue for a quick overview of love, loss, tragedy, and final triumph of a quite remarkable woman and the historic times in which she lived. But, a deeper dive into the book is merited. 

Lady Tremaine: A Novel by Rachel Hochhauser

 

Lady Tremaine: A Novel by Rachel Hochhauser. St. Martin's Press and Thorndike for large print, 2026. Adult fairy tale.

    Etheldreda grows up the daughter of a brewer. She meets and marries Henry with whom she has two daughters and a much better life. When Henry dies, she marries Lord Bramley and has a title and a great life. But, when Lord Bramley dies, she is left the house. All other possessions and riches are left to his beautiful daughter, Elin.  And, the prince is having a ball! 

     Sound familiar? This is a creative retelling of the Cinderella tale with new twists. Readers may never see the "wicked stepmother" in the same light! Enjoy the ride with this author as she paints the early life and courage of later life of Lady Tremaine and all of her daughters.

The Beheading Game: A Novel by Rebecca Lehmann

 

  

The Beheading Game: A Novel by Rebecca Lehmann. Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, 2026. Adult historical fiction.

    If you are a fan of Tudor history, you will want to find this tale of Anne Boleyn!  Lehmann has woven a creative tale of Anne who, of course, was beheaded by King Henry VIII, but Anne awakens, sews her head back on herself, and seeks revenge for her own death.

   With the help of a young man named John and a woman named Alice, Anne begins her journey at the Tower and heads (no pun intended!) to find Henry while hoping to protect their small daughter, Elizabeth. The narrative reads well with many details about life during this era.  While readers know this is totally fiction, it is a fun read filled with historical tidbits. It's hard to imagine a happy ending because Anne is, after all, DEAD, but the story is resolved in a most satisfying and incredible way. 

The Windsor Affair: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin

 

The Windsor Affair: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin. Delacorte Press, 2026. Historical fiction.

    Was it Alice Roosevelt who is claimed to say something like "If you can't say anything nice about anyone, come sit here beside me?" If you are like that, you will love this dishy fictional novel about the former Queen Mum, Elizabeth, and the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson. 

Beginning with the early life of Elizabeth and tracing how she met the Duke of Windsor himself and apparently turned down two proposals from his brother Bertie before she said she would marry him, Benjamin recounts almost every single story about Elizabeth's long life and what she thought about Wallis. Wallis, of course, was American and a fashion plate. What a contrast to the little smiling rose Elizabeth! 

The early life of Wallis is covered, too, and her first two marriages and divorces. The infamous "China dossier" and other scandously details are described. 

When the Duke abdicated the English throne to marry "the woman I love", the newly married couple moved to France, then served a time in the Bahamas during WWII, and traveled extensively to New York. 

Interestingly, Queen Mary, the mother of Bertie and the Duke of Windsor, David, makes an appearance with several of her own chapters to put in her own take on the family. Elizabeth became the mother of another Queen and grandmother of King Charles. Wallis never had children and died basically alone.

An afterword by the author includes several other historical fiction titles. All of the main characters are now long dead. Of course, their thoughts and actual conversations are, for the most part, made up while based sometimes on what others said or observed. It IS a work of fiction! 

Pretty Dead Things: A Novel by Kelsey Cox

 

 Pretty Dead Things: A Novel by Kelsey Cox. Minotaur Books, 2026. Adult fiction.

 In 2000, a young woman disappeared in Anhalt, Texas. Now it's 2025 and time again for the Lone Star Princess Pageant. Ingrid has come home for the first time since her sister's disappearance. She must revisit friends and pageant competitors and find answers to her big questions. The excavations at Sherman Ranch provide unexpected findings and a big storm cuts the electricity at an inopportune time. Tension builds, old grudges reappear, and things become deadly.

   What attracted me to this novel in the first place was the Texas setting and the transplanted to Texas author. She did not disappoint. The book is full of beautiful young women (even one with a double name: Sarah Lynn) who want to compete in a beauty pageant, gorgeous new home                                          communities with amenity centers, controlling mothers, and other typical                                        tropes. 

Yesteryear: A Novel by Caro Claire Burke

 

Yesteryear: A Novel by Caro Claire Burke. Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. Adult fiction.

     When Natalie Heller Mills marries her husband, Caleb, one of the sons of a want-to-be President, and they buy Yesteryear Ranch, and she becomes a social media darling, her life is very different from what she has expected. Then, she wakes up in 1805.

     Another in the novels that explore trad wife life through fiction, this book will spark book group discussions about the role of women in the past and in the present. The novel is full of religious and political ideals of the characters and may inspire readers to consider what they believe themselves.