Murder by Degrees

This debut novel by Ritu Mukerji was nominated for a couple of prestigious mystery awards and I agree that it is a fine plot, setting and cast of characters. Set after the Civil War in Philadelphia as the city is becoming a powerhouse of industry, our protagonist is a woman doctor when women in medicine still faced enormous headwinds from the field. Dr. Lydia Weston is a professor and practicing clinician at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. When a young woman patient, Anna Ward goes missing and a body identified as Anna is pulled from the Schuylkill River, Lydia becomes involved in the investigation of her death. Not only must Lydia prove herself to skeptical male doctors, but also to the police who share in the sentiment that women are not fit to practice medicine, much less help solve what turns out to be a murder.

The Library Journal asserts "On the surface, this debut by Mukerji, herself a medical doctor, appears to be a mystery about the death of a working-class servant, but it's much more, as it examines women's rights, social conditions, and medicine in Philadelphia just a decade after the Civil War."  Booklist praises "Lydia assist[s] police officers Volcker and Davies with their investigation, discovering unsavory events in some of Philadelphia's wealthy families. Lydia herself is in danger as a result. This well-researched, historical-mystery debut by a practicing physician will appeal to readers who enjoy strong female characters and graphic clinical details." 

Publishers Weekly also recommends the book. "Mukerji’s taut plotting and vivid depiction of the era’s medical practices and social customs will leave readers eager for a second installment." Kirkus compares Mukerji's writing favorably to other well know writers. "Mukerji, like Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, pulls the reader into fascinating and richly detailed forensic autopsies and blesses Weston with the instincts and determination to carry out a murder investigation as effectively as—or even better than—the police. This well-constructed narrative will also be appealing to literature lovers as Lydia finds solace in reading Tennyson, Browning, and Wordsworth. Mukerji writes with the assurance of a more seasoned novelist, and armchair sleuths can hope this is the beginning of a substantive new series. Like Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, Lydia is a strong and indomitable woman who transcends her circumstances to become her true self and a crusader for social justice. This atmospheric novel heralds the arrival of a talented new writer and an unforgettable heroine."

Havoc

This novel by Christopher Bollen has received numerous glowing reviews such as this one from Publishers Weekly: An octogenarian Wisconsin widow faces off against an eight-year-old troublemaker in this first-rate tale of psychological suspense from Bollen (The Lost Americans). At the height of the Covid lockdown, the garrulous Maggie Burkhardt basks in her self-appointed role as social director for the guests at the Royal Karnak Palace Hotel in Luxor, Egypt--that is, until the arrival of young Otto Seeber and his mother. Though the scrawny, bespectacled Otto looks innocent, Maggie soon learns there's more to the boy than meets the eye. When Otto spies Maggie sneaking out of another guest's room, he offers to trade his silence for her agreement to upgrade him and his mother from the hotel's worst room to a $900-a-night luxury suite. So begins a dangerous chess match between the unlikely adversaries, each of whom is refreshingly drawn against type. As the mayhem mounts and the plot careens toward a genuinely shocking climax, Maggie's reliability as a narrator comes into doubt. Enriching the narrative with an evocative sense of atmosphere and playful riffs on The Bad Seed and Agatha Christie, Bollen serves up a nasty treat. It's a bracing ode to bad behavior." 

And Kirkus has this to say: "Thelma meets The Bad Seed meets The White Lotus in this Covid-19-era tale of an elderly American woman's murderous obsession with a troubled young boy at an Egyptian hotel. The 81-year-old Maggie Burkhardt left her home in Wisconsin six years ago following the deaths of her husband and daughter. Moving from hotel to hotel, she spent five years in the Alps, where she perfected her unseemly skill at insinuating herself into people's lives to cause the breakup of what she deems bad marriages. "I liberate people who don’t know they’re stuck," says the widow, whose methods include planting false evidence of infidelities and relating false rumors. After both partners in one targeted marriage die—the wife by strangling, the husband by suicide—and suspicions point Maggie's way, she escapes to Luxor and picks up where she left off....Bollen takes the art of the unreliable, self-deluded narrator to new heights. Did Maggie really have a happy marriage? Did her family really die? ... But it's still a wicked delight. A devious and deranged thriller."

The LA Times offers : "Maggie believes herself to be unrivaled in her ability to wreak havoc via an insinuation here or a planted item of lingerie there, but in Otto she’s met her match, and before long, their vicious cat-and-mouse game turns lethal. It’s a tit for tat in which one act of violence is met with another more outrageous. And the contest over which of them will break first has the effect of emboldening Otto but destabilizing Maggie, whose daily exercise routine, anti-anxiety meds and carefully constructed exterior had thus far saved her from unraveling." And continues, "Bollen can be counted on to choreograph taut, nail-biting scenes and deliver richly atmospheric descriptive passages that immediately bring a person or place to vivid life....Yet for all his panache, I wish this author had been kinder to his protagonist, who leaves little room for sympathy or understanding. There is a twist at the very end that hints at why Maggie is so haunted by her memories that she may have lost her grip on reality. It’s a devilish denouement that marks Bollen as a thriller master, even as he edges into the macabre." 

The NYT calls the book "a deliciously nasty tale of resentment and revenge...set in a once-fashionable hotel in Luxor, Egypt, where 81-year-old Maggie Burkhardt has grandly taken up residence during the pandemic. Her insatiable need to meddle in the lives of others, often without their knowledge, has already forced her to make exits from 18 previous hotels over five years.Listening to her describe her strange habits and her wacky opinions of other people is great, wicked fun. The arrival of another guest — a horrid boy of 8 with his own warped perspective and relish of mayhem — threatens to destroy Maggie’s carefully-constructed spider web of intrigue. Bollen writes with wit and style about an increasingly unhinged battle of wills between two unlikely, and formidable, opponents."

But although the book is extremely well written, as several reviewers have noted above, I found it incredibly distressing in the cruelty of acts by the two main characters, and the outcome was tragic and heart-breaking. 

The Paris Novel

This second novel from food renowned critic Ruth Reichl was strongly recommended by a good friend and I, in turn, passed on that recommendation to my book group which is now our choice for the February meeting. Library Journal offers a reasonably accurate summary of the plot line:

"Stella and her mother Celia have long been estranged. In a last, dying effort to control Stella's life, Celia wills her daughter money that can only be spent on a trip to Paris. Stella is reluctant but needs a break from her regimented New York City existence. Arriving in Paris, she lives frugally, visiting all the tourist sights until, on impulse, she stops in a vintage dress shop with a Dior creation in the window. The shop owner convinces her to buy the dress and wear it while visiting a small museum and dining in an excellent restaurant. Stella follows these instructions and meets Jules, an elderly art expert who shows her another side of Paris, opening her mind to new possibilities. She sees Manet's controversial painting Olympia and learns that the model, Victorine-Louise Meurent, was also a painter. Deep research helps Stella find and purchase a painting by Meurent, all while tracking down her own long-missing father and discovering a love of food. Reichl...creates... a search for family and self that incorporates fashion, art, and food in a setting known for all three. ...This multi-layered story will appeal to those who love food, Paris, and a happy ending."

Publishers Weekly calls it "a delectable story" and "a feast for the senses." While Kirkus offers a mixed review, which is more in line with my personal reaction to the book.

"A stiff, lonely young woman takes a life-changing trip to Paris.After suffering a miserable childhood at the hands of her narcissistic mother, Stella St. Vincent is surprised to receive an envelope labeled “For My Daughter” after Celia’s death in 1983. In it is a piece of paper that says 'Go to Paris'; the money to pay for the trip will only be released after it’s booked. This is just the beginning of a silly story with a wildly overcaffeinated plot and characters that are not even close to real people, foremost among them an annoying protagonist who can’t stop shooting herself in the foot even as she miraculously finds her tribe and discovers her extraordinary gifts for eating and cooking. Though she lacks the instincts of a fiction writer, Reichl fills her second novel with the high-flying writing about food, wine, places, and clothes that have made her nonfiction work a well-deserved success. In fact, according to an author’s note, this book grew out of her editor’s request that she expand a chapter from her memoir about trying on a little black dress in Paris. Unfortunately, a few too many ingredients have been added, including a search for a forgotten 19th-century woman painter; appearances by culinary figures like Marc Meneau and Jean Troisgros and literary figures like John Ashbery, James Baldwin, and Allen Ginsberg; a nasty Mr. Darcy–style love interest; and the search for Stella’s father, whom she either does or doesn’t want to find depending on the page. But the food writing is almost worth the price of admission, ranging from the horrific to the euphoric. ...A somewhat ridiculous novel, nicely marbled with fine food and travel writing."

The Darkest Evening

This 9th installment in Ann Cleeves' "Vera Stanhope" series includes a lot of information about Vera's background since the murder occurs on the grounds of the Stanhope estate, the property of her dead father's older brother, which is now inhabited by his widow, daughter and son-in-law. This is a part of Vera's family that she only sees for weddings and funerals. Vera's father, Hector, was the black sheep of the family and on the few occasions that they visited, "the family had been unfailingly polite. That branch of the clan used politeness as a weapon of mass destruction." I'd love to have had a map of the estate with its tenant farms and tied cottages. 

Caught in a blizzard while driving home one night, DI Stanhope misses a turn  and comes across a car on the side of the road with the driver's door still open and a toddler in the back seat. She assumes the driver has gone looking for help after sliding off the road so she leaves a note, takes the little boy, and starts looking for the nearest signs of life and cell reception. That just happens to be the Stanhope home, Brockburn, where her father grew up. Inside, the son-in-law is entertaining potential donors for a theatre start-up. When the body of a young woman--the abandoned car's driver-- is shortly discovered by a tenant farmer coming to retrieve his daughters who are filling in as wait staff, Vera realizes that she has a murder on her hands. "...a second murder spurs Vera and her team to investigate a tangled web of family connections and buried secrets'" (Kirkus). "Vera... comes to realize that the 'whole case... was about families, about what held them together and what ripped them apart" (Publishers Weekly).

As is to be expected, the characters are well-developed, the settings rich and the plot twisty with a number of red herrings thrown in. Still, Publishers Weekly concludes, "This fair-play mystery brims with fully developed suspects and motives that are hidden in plain sight. Skillful misdirection masks the killer's identity. This page-turner is must reading for fans as well as newcomers." Kirkus likewise closes their review with "Fans will enjoy matching wits with Cleeves’ eccentric sleuth right up to the dangerous surprise in her denouement." Highly recommended

Death at the Sanatorium

After having read one of Ragnar Jonasson's early entries in his "Dark Iceland" series (Snowblind), I decided to read his newest book, also set in Iceland but in Reykjavik rather than the far north of the country. 

Kirkus offers this review: "The retro title introduces a valentine to Golden Age whodunits relocated to Iceland. Helgi Reykdal, a graduate student in criminology at an English university, has returned to Iceland. Last summer he interned with Reykjavík’s criminal investigation department, and there’s a job waiting for him there if he wants it. But he’s torn by his conflicting desires to return to the U.K. and to appease Bergthóra, the ...live-in girlfriend who wants him to stay. An additional inducement arrives with the possibility of writing his dissertation on the deaths a generation ago of a nurse and doctor at a sanitorium in the provincial northern town of Akureyri. When both Tinna Einarsdóttir, the nurse who discovered both bodies, and Sverrir Eggertsson, the police investigator who allegedly solved the case back in 1983 by arresting what even he came to admit was the wrong suspect, summarily refuse to talk to him, his interest is naturally piqued. The circle of possible killers is tiny—Tinna herself, along with her colleague Elísabet, ambitious Dr. Thorri Thorsteinsson, and Broddi the caretaker—and in the course of Helgi’s investigation, one of them obligingly narrows it even further by killing one of the others. Inspired by his reading of classic mysteries with similar settings... Helgi digs into the archives and questions the people who are willing to talk to him. The story, which toggles back and forth between 1983 and 2012, generates considerable suspense from a remarkably limited cast of characters living and dead. Clever, absorbing, and no more uplifting than you’d expect from this master of Icelandic noir." 

Publishers Weekly opens their review with "Jónasson follows up Reykjavik with a meticulously plotted whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie..." and concludes "With scrupulously fair-play plotting, Helgi’s tumultuous relationship with his live-in girlfriend as an emotional anchor, and a worthy payoff, this is another winner from Jónasson. Readers will be rapt."

A Rogue's Company

This is the third installment in Allison Montclair's "Sparks and Bainbridge" series and it was equally as entertaining as the previous two (The Right Sort of Man and A Royal Affair). Things have been going well at the Right Sort Marriage Bureau after the monetary reward from the last book and, as a result, a new character has been added, secretary/ receptionist Mrs. Billington. This time around Gwen is the victim of a kidnapping, along with her hostile father-in-law, recently returned from Africa. Lady Bainbridge receives a note demanding ransom and warning not to contact the police. She turns to the only person she knows that she thinks might be able to help--Iris--who leaps into action, calling on her friend Sally and her paramour Archie. A parallel plotline involves Simon Daile, the bureau's first client of color and why he is apparently stalking Gwen. There is also a new romantic twist revealed.

Booklist gushes "It's hard to imagine a wittier, more delightfully daring duo than Sparks and Bainbridge. Yet these women are not fluffy characters. Each struggles, Gwen with the ramifications of a mental breakdown, and Iris with events during her war service that continue to haunt her. Sharply plotted and filled with a robust cast of supporting characters, this is a mystery that both stands on its own and neatly links previous series entries." Publishers Weekly opens their review with this praise "An artfully constructed puzzle and dry humor lift Montclair’s excellent third mystery featuring professional matchmakers and amateur sleuths Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge in post-WWII London..." and concludes "Montclair’s feisty leads continue to develop as psychologically plausible characters. Phryne Fisher devotees will clamor for more."

The Swarm

This horror/ sci-fi novel by Andy Marino just creeped me out too much, so I gave up after about 150 pages. Approach at your own risk. From the book jacket:

""It begins with cicadas. It will end with the swarm. When millions of insects appear unexpectedly, off the rhythm of their 17-year cycle, Detective Vicky Paterson is investigating a bizarre killing in her sleepy hometown. At the same time, a pair of hired guns work to free their client's daughter from a shadowy cult. As these events intertwine, things begin to spiral out of control. When Vicky's young daughter, Sadie, is attacked by the insects, it's clear that the once-harmless creatures have invaded with a malevolent purpose. But this is only the first wave. Soon, the infestation is impossible to contain. As the world desperately works to unravel the mysteries of the swarm, and humanity rests on the knife's edge of extinction, Vicky and a group of strangers will fight to uncover the shocking origins of the attack-and the terrible purpose behind it. This panoramic novel of insect apocalypse reaches back into the darkest recesses of the twentieth century and unleashes its horrors on our modern, interconnected world""

The Golden Gate

This mystery/ procedural by Amy Chua is a very twisty plot fueled by dysfunctional family dynamics in a powerful Berkley dynasty, the Bainbridges. Juicy chunks of Bay Area history are scattered along the way, with particular attention to the racial disparities and discrimination across the decades. The story opens in 1930 with the "accidental" death of 7-year old Iris Bainbridge Stafford. Her younger sister, Isabella goes speechless for months and remains haunted by her sister. Her mother has a total breakdown resulting in periods of institutionalization. Now move to 1944, when a presidential contender is assassinated in a bizarre, almost ritualistic, way in his hotel room at the famous Claremont. Mixed race detective Al Sullivan of the BPD, who passes for white, is assigned the case. His Mexican father was deported when Al was a child and he became a delinquent until being rescued and becoming  a protege of August Vollmer, the father of forensic science. One of the maids at the hotel swears she saw one of the Bainbridge girls (Isabella, cousins Cassie and Nicole) leaving the hotel room at about the time of the murder. Problem is, she can't tell blond-haired white people apart, so hardly a credible witness. 

Library Journal favorably concludes their review, "The historical mystery debut by Yale Law School professor Chua ...is a successful, compelling mash-up of California history, ghost story, family tale, and social commentary." In the same vein, Booklist praises, "This is a riveting mystery featuring a gifted detective and accidental charmer whose inner conflict about his family's blended heritage offers a timeless perspective on prejudice. In her first novel, Chua skillfully creates tension around Sullivan's complex investigation, tempting red herrings, and thoughtful examination of war-time social divisions."  Publishers Weekly opens their review with "The thrilling fiction debut from Yale law professor Chua ... anchors a mind-bending murder mystery in the social turbulence of 1944 Berkeley, Calif." and  concludes "Chua seeds the novel with fascinating nuggets of California history and real-life figures, including Margaret Chung, the first Chinese woman to become a physician in the United States. The result is a richly satisfying historical mystery that draws on its setting for more than mere atmosphere."

Snowblind

This debut mystery/ crime novel by Ragnar Jonasson is the first in his "Dark Iceland" series (now 6 in all, in addition to his "Hidden Iceland" series (3) and several stand-along crime novels (4). His novels have been translated into several languages and he has won numerous awards for best crime novel in translation.  He has translated 14 of Agatha Chritie's novels into Icelandic, starting when he was 17. He is now a lawyer and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University.   

The story is set in Iceland's northern most city, Siglufjördur, which is reachable only via a tunnel through the adjacent mountains--assuming an avalanche hasn't blocked the road. Ari Thor Arason has just finished his training as a police officer and trying and rejecting studies in philosophy and theology. He feels this career will suit him just fine, but given that the 2008 recession has left many without jobs, he chooses to take the first job offer he receives, which is from the police department in Siglufjördur, without consulting his live-in medical student girlfriend. Needless to say, this causes some tension between them as she must finish her studies in their current home of Reykjavik. Moreover, Ari Thor is tormented by the claustrophobic smallness of the town--where no one locks their doors and everyone seems to know everyone else, sort of--, the geographic isolation, and the intense winter weather where the days are never light and the snow becomes a fearsome character in its own right.  Although his boss has assured him that "nothing ever happens here," first the director of the Dramatic Society dies from falling down a flight of stairs. Everyone assumes he just drank too much and accidentally fell. Ari Thor is not so sure. Then a half naked woman is found bleeding to death in her snow-covered garden.

Library Journal sums it up by saying, "As Ari Thór digs deeper into the town's past, it becomes apparent that Siglufjördur has more than its fair share of secrets and few of its residents are as they appear...  Jonasson has taken the locked-room mystery and transformed it into a dark tale of isolation and intrigue that will keep readers guessing until the final page." Booklist concurs, concluding "Jønasson spins an involving tale of small-town police work that vividly captures the snowy setting that so affects the rookie cop. Icelandic noir at its moodiest."

Publishers Weekly calls this a "sterling debut, a tale of past and present revenge, which combines the power of extreme climate and geography with penetrating psychological analysis," and concludes "Jónasson skillfully alternates points of view and shifts of time that set in relief Ari Thór's efforts to find a purpose to his lonely life. The action builds to a shattering climax."

A Royal Affair

I really like the characters in Allison Monclair's inaugural outing, The Right Sort of Man, so I went after this second book in the "Sparks and Bainbridge" series. I just discovered that Allison Montclair is pseudonym for author Alan Gordon. Hmmm.

Not surprisingly, our two intrepid protagonists are asked to vet a potential suitor for a client--who just happens to be Princess Elizabeth. Well, not exactly the Princess herself is asking; rather, her minions--who intercept the Princess's mail--are asking, because they have received a letter threatening to embarrass the Royals if money is not forthcoming. So once again Iris and Gwen are up to their ears in a highly secret and off the books investigation. And yet every lead they develop is either foiled by the SOE getting there first or, in one case, the murder of the blackmailer--and they're being framed to take the blame. Montclair continues to build on the characters as s/he carries forward a very labyrinthine plot. This book was equally as enjoyable as the first.

Booklist notes that "all is explained in a smart, Agatha Christie--style finale in which friends and foes are gathered to hear who did what and why. One of the series strengths is the focus on the personal lives of Iris and Gwen, both of whom are struggling, Iris with the consequences of her activities during the war, Gwen with battling for custody of her son. Written with flair and lots of snarky humor, this is great fun for British mystery fans."

Library Journal agrees. "Outside the office, Sparks navigates a possible romance with a charming gangster, while Bainbridge focuses on her mental health in order to regain custody of her young son, Ronnie. Pseudonymous author Montclair carefully reveals more about her two main characters, as their friendship strengthens and they learn to balance each other's skills. It's refreshing to see believable female friends in a historical mystery. Montclair doesn't neglect secondary characters either, particularly Sparks's loyal friend Sally and the aforementioned Ronnie...Fans of period mysteries ...will appreciate this gutsy duo." 

And Publishers Weekly calls this a "stellar sequel," going on to conclude "Montclair successfully combines the insightful characterizations of Jacqueline Winspear with the witty banter of Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles. Fans of the British royal family will have fun."

 

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter

This incredibly well-researched non-fiction account, by Clare Mulley, of a female Polish Resistance courier, Elzbieta Zawacka, covers her life from the time of the German invasion of Poland to her death, just shy of 100 years old. It is a remarkable story for several reasons. She was passionate about Poland regaining its briefly held independence before the Germans and Russians again divided and claimed her country. The Poles were astounding sources of information providing almost half of Britain's intelligence about the state of play on the European continent (p.243). It is told from a perspective that, I think, is seldom written about regarding the players and actions in WWII. The book describes both heroic efforts, unbelievable betrayals, and inexcusable moral depravity. This was a book that I had to frequently bookmark because I learned so many things I had not known before. Here's a sample:

The Polish Home Army was "the first national resistance movement in occupied Europe. With eventually over 400,000 men and 40,000 women in its ranks, it was also the largest resistance organisation of the Second World War." (p. 33)

"80 percent of Polish liaison officers, messengers, and couriers were women" (p.35).

"By 1944, 10,000 members of the Warsaw intelligentsia alone had been murdered" (p.35). 

"there would have been no Home Army without women" (p.40)

"Within a year of the invasion, 'the average life of a liaison woman did not exceed a few months'" (p.44).

"The official German reprisal rate was now one hundred Polish lives for every German killed, but occasionally four times that rule was applied" (p.165).

"In early 1943, the Polish Armed Forces had been a crucial Allied resource. The 30,000 troops of the Polish First Corps...were trained for the cross-channel invasion of mainland Europe...60,000 soldiers of the Polish Second Corps" invaded Italy. "...11,000 men" from the Polish Air Force "distinguished themselves in the Battle of Britain, and around 5,000 men were serving with the Allies in the Polish Navy. The 400,000 strong Home Army...was lauded in a British military staff report as 'the strongest, best organised and most determined' resistance force in occupied Europe...Yet in late November 1943, Poland's leaders found themselves excluded from the Tehran Conference, the first face-to-face talks between ...Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin" (p.166). 

During the Warsaw Uprising, Himmler order that "All Home Army soldiers were to be shot, irrespective of whether they had surrendered...'the part of the population not fighting, women and children, should likewise be killed'....An estimated 40,000 people were murdered on one day alone" (p.204).

Stalin refused to let the other allied countries use their air bases just east of Warsaw to bring supplies to the Poles fighting in the Warsaw uprising. As a result, they had to fly 1,800 miles over enemy territory to bring aid. The losses were so great that the Allies eventually abandoned the Home Army. The Russians stopped their invasion from the east just 12 miles short of the fighting and "let them all be slaughtered." They calculated that there would fewer fighters to contest their own invasion of Poland (p.205).

Of the estimated 300,000 Poles arrested between 1944 and 1956 [by the Russians]...6,000 had been sentenced to death and many more simply 'disappeared'" (p.267). "Approximately 20,000 Poles died in communist prisons up to 1963" (footnote, p. 267).

Elzbieta herself was in prison for seven years. From that experience, she became a champion of education, particularly for those who had had no schooling during the war, and was a pioneer in early distance education. She never quit fighting for her country and her people--a truly heroic woman.

Kirkus calls this "A well-told story from a little-known corner of World War II history."  

The New York Journal of Books notes that Mulley "does an exceptional job bringing this complicated and compelling history to light." And they go on to say "The amount of research Mulley did is truly staggering, especially given that almost all of it had to be done with the aid of translators. She manages to tell Zo's personal story as the gripping adventure it was while also providing the bigger canvas of her lifetime. Mulley lays out the broader histories such as the little-known aspects of Poland's post-war history, the Soviet domination and repression that resulted in the arrest and torture of people, including Zo." By all means, read their entire review.

The Wall Street Journal praises "Zo was anything but ordinary, perhaps the most extraordinary individual among a multitude of larger-than-life figures who routinely took enormous risks to free their country from Hitler’s overlords. Her life encapsulated Poland’s mostly tragic history in the last century, not only during World War II but also under Soviet domination in the postwar era..."

The Life Impossible

I tried to read Matt Haig's earlier best seller, The Midnight Library, and, in spite of rave reviews, just could not get engaged. This book also caused me to struggle through the first few chapters before I became more engrossed with the characters and the plotting. The New York Times called this book "a love letter filled with magic."  Protagonist Grace is a retired mathematics teacher who describes herself in the book as “Don Quixote dressed in Marks & Spencer.” The Times provides this summary:

"Grace is grappling with loss. She’s a recent-ish widow, and she’s also still grieving the death of her son, Daniel, who died three decades prior, when he was just 9 years old. Since losing her immediate family, her life has shrunk so drastically that “she only had two contacts on her WhatsApp — Angela from the British Heart Foundation and Sophie, her sister-in-law, who had moved to Perth in Australia 33 years ago.” This might have been maudlin, but Haig lightens the mood, including with cheeky chapter titles (Grace’s initial tale of woe arrives under the heading “Sob Story”).The novel opens with a cry-for-help email from one of Grace’s former students, Maurice Augustine, who is despairing that “everything feels impossible.” The book we hold is Grace’s sprawling response. To comfort Maurice, she shares her own story about “a person who felt there was no point left in her existence, and then found the greatest purpose she had ever known.”Her tale is set in motion by “an act of kindness long ago”: In 1979, Grace invited Christina Papadakis, a colleague she barely knew, to spend Christmas Day with her. When Christina vanishes and is presumed dead in Ibiza decades later, she leaves Grace, of all people, her shabby house and a trail of clues about her fate. Officially, Christina “died at sea” — or did she?Cracking the case of Christina’s disappearance forces Grace, who self-soothes with tedious mental equations and thoughts on theorems, to open her logical mind to the paranormal. “The only thing you have to believe at this point is that there is a possibility that we don’t know every single thing about life in the universe,” Grace writes to Maurice. “Is that possible?” In attempting to convince Grace, Haig moved even this skeptical reader to consider that science and magic aren’t mutually exclusive.Grace’s search for answers is filled with adventure (including a midnight scuba dive and a 2 a.m. club jaunt), comedy (via an enigmatic seaman named Alberto Ribas whose “general aesthetic seemed to be halfway between unrehabilitated caveman and pirate”) and vivid bursts of magical realism."

Kirkus concludes their review by saying "...the author’s insistence on the power of connection to change lives comes through loud and clear. Haig’s positive message will keep his fans happy." Publishers Weekly gushes that the novel is "magnificent" and closes "In Haig’s sure hands, magic comes to breathtaking life."

We Solve Murders

This newest novel by Richard Osman was a treat. It is not a continuation of the "Thursday Murder Club" series, although, in the Acknowledgements he promises there are more to come with that crew. This features a new and delightful set of characters, set all over the world even though one of them, Steve, would really rather be home in his little English village of Axley. Steve, a former detective, now retired, still does a little bit of investigating for petty theft, missing dogs, etc. is the father-in-law of Amy Wheeler. Amy is a private body guard who works for Maximum Impact Solutions. Library Journal summarizes the plot:

"Her latest assignment is protecting Rosie D'Antonio, the world's second most popular mystery writer. But when Amy is set up as a patsy in a series of murders, and her boss disappears, she turns to the only person she can trust--Steve. He's reluctant to leave home, but Rosie can be persuasive. She sends her private plane for him, and they all learn that the quiet man has hidden depths. With a mysterious opponent able to call on a number of potential assassins, the unusual trio are on the run from Dublin to Dubai and back to England in a fast-paced adventure as they hunt for a killer who has targeted Amy for unknown reasons...." They go on to conclude "this humorous caper quickly picks up speed, and readers will root for the trio." 

Publishers Weekly calls this a "promising new series" and concludes their review by saying "Osman pulls off the tricky task of making his leads both zany and human, with a sufficiently brain-teasing mystery to boot." Kirkus says of the characters, "As in Osman’s other series, they cross paths with a variety of people—including drug-dealing politicians, customs agents, and social media influencers—who may or may not be inclined to help them, and watching the unlikely threesome charm each other and (almost) everyone they meet is a delight. The mystery isn’t all that mysterious, but Osman fans will be glad to hop on that private jet and go along for the ride." The Washington Post notes that, while giving the Thursday Murder Club a well-deserved rest, "Not that Osman has deviated entirely from his winning formula. While offering more in scale and scope, the British author continues to play to his considerable strengths by serving up a fiendish mystery and rollicking adventure suffused with warmth and wit." Read their review for a more comprehensive story line description.

I also loved these comments from The Indiependent, "What sets Osman’s novels apart from typical murder mysteries—and fiction in general—is the heartwarming and cosy relationships that flourish between his characters. While the plots are filled with intrigue and suspense, it’s the depth and warmth of these connections that truly shine. Osman has a gift for crafting realistic, relatable bonds that highlight the purity of human connection. His stories celebrate the strength found in friendship, loyalty, and love, showing that even in the midst of dark and dangerous circumstances, it’s these relationships that provide the emotional core and resilience his characters need to persevere."

The Undercurrent

This book by Sarah Sawyer kept me going to find out what lay at the bottom of the disappearance in 1987 of a 12-year old girl. It's 2011 and new mother Bee, who was just a couple years older than the missing girl, lived in the neighborhood where the girl disappeared; she comes to suspect that her estranged twin brother's best friend, Leo, was somehow involved. But the real tension in the story comes from her twin's disappearance from her life. It eventually comes clear why he has cut off his family, but in the intervening 15 years or so, Bee has tortured herself over this. The story is told from the perspectives of Bee, her mother at the time of the disappearance, and Leo's mother, also in 1987.

Library Journal summarizes the plot as follows: "When new mother Bee's childhood crush and neighbor Leo contacts her to tell her that her estranged twin, Gus, wants to see her, Bee travels from Maine back to her Texas home. She's seeking reconciliation and answers for why Gus vanished from her life." They go on to say that "The leisurely paced writing is oblique, with the plot unfolding slowly from different directions, coming into focus in the latter part of the novel." Publishers Weekly is considerably more positive in their review, concluding "Sawyer constructs a spellbinding mystery as she toggles between timelines and the viewpoints of three very different mothers." Similarly, Booklist sees "Sawyer's debut is a gripping and emotional domestic suspense novel that explores the complex trials and tribulations of motherhood from three female perspectives."

The NewYork Times says, "On the surface, the book follows the well-worn fictional path along which troubled young adults return to their hometowns to look anew at mysteries from their childhoods. But this is less a criminal investigation than a layered excavation of family secrets, misconceptions and the extreme measures mothers will take to protect their children....The novel features big emotions and incorrect assumptions on the parts of nearly all the characters. Fittingly, it begins and ends with Deecie, who is full of naïve wonder and innocent longing on what turns out to be her last night alive. The final, shocking twist comes at the very end."