The Monogram Murders

This is the 1st installment of Sophie Hannah's authorized continuation of Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot" series of mysteries (see also my post on The Mystery of Three Quarters). In Booklist's starred review, they praise that "Hannah... proves more than capable at re-creating the legendary Belgian detective, who once again puts his little grey cells to good use, this time in unraveling an exquisitely tangled triple murder."Also giving this a starred review, Library Journal agrees that Hannah "has re-created the sleuth's voice and character as true to the original as anyone could."

Publishers Weekly offers this summary: "One evening in February 1929, Hercule Poirot is dining alone at a London coffee shop when a woman arrives who looks as if she had "come face to face with the devil." Poirot joins the distraught woman, known at first as Jennie, who tells the sleuth that no one can help her because she's "already dead," and that no one should search for her killer. "The crime must never be solved," she proclaims. Another cryptic remark Jennie makes before fleeing into the night-"please let no one open their mouths"-resonates with Poirot and Insp. Edward Catchpool, the Scotland Yard detective ... after two women and a man are found poisoned in a hotel near Piccadilly Circus, each with a monogrammed gold cuff link inserted in his or her mouth. The rest of the novel lives up to the promise of the opening, complete with dazzling deductions, subtle cluing, false endings, and superb prose."

I am more inclined toward the review from Kirkus: "So Poirot attaches himself to the case, ... alternately lecturing and hectoring Catchpool, and sounding very little like Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth except for the obligatory French tags. Hannah... would seem an odd choice for the job of resurrecting Poirot. The main strengths she brings to her task are a formidable ingenuity and a boundless appetite for reviewing the same evidence over and over again. The herrings-within-herrings denouement, which goes on for 100 pages, hovers between tour de force and unintentional farce." 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab weaves an historical tale of a young woman who, out of desperation, makes a deal with "the darkness" even though she has been warned by the village wise woman to "never pray to the gods that answer after dark." Adeline LaRue has a wild spirit that longs to escape the confines of her small French village in the 1700s. When her parents promise her to a local villager as a bride, Addie runs away and inadvertently trades her presence for freedom. "She is cursed to be instantly forgotten by everyone she meets...A lonely Addie travels the world, sometimes forcibly moved by Luc, the literally handsome devil to whom she now owes her soul. She must survive by stealing and hiding because she is unable to establish any personal or business relationships... However, as she nears the 300th anniversary of her bargain, she may have discovered a loophole in the curse... " (Library Journal). They close their review, calling this  a "well-crafted exploration of the human condition... Recommend to those who appreciate atmospheric, character-driven dramas."

Publishers Weekly gushes in their review: "This sweeping fantasy is as much a love story as it is a tribute to storytelling, art, and inspiration. Schwab's diverse cast is beautifully rendered, and the view of human connection on offer is biting and bitter, yet introspective and sweet. This ambitious and hopeful work is a knockout." Similarly, Booklist praises, "Narratively, this is a whirlwind--deeply romantic, impossibly detailed, filled with lush language, wry humor, and bitter memories. This often startlingly raw story begs the questions: what is a soul? What does it mean to be remembered? And what prize is worth giving those things up?" Kirkus also recommends the book: "This spellbinding story unspools in multiple timelines as Addie moves through history, learning the rules of her curse and the whims of her captor. Meanwhile, both Addie and the reader get to know Henry and understand what sets him apart. This is the kind of book you stay up all night reading—rich and satisfying and strange and impeccably crafted. Spanning centuries and continents, this is a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game."

The Antidote

This novel by Karen Russell is set in the fictional town of 1935 Uz, Nebraska--right in the heart of the dust bowl and still struggling with the repercussions of the Great Depression. Some books are notable for drawing the reader in with the opening sentence or paragraph, but this one will deter many readers with a prologue which describes a hideous act of animal cruelty. Chapters are told from several different characters' points of view. One of the magical elements of this historic novel is the presence of what are called "prairie witches," who can store people's painful memories until the owner wants to retrieve them -- if ever. In this way Antonina Rossi, was the prairie witch of Uz, says she can be the antidote to guilt, shame and other undesirable thoughts. The sheriff of Uz has  often coerced Antonina into hearing and storing the memories of prisoners who the sheriff wants to prevent from complaining about their abuse at his hands. Prairie witches go into a trance whenever someone shares their memories so they don't recall what they are told, but Antonina knows that there are terrible things going on. When she loses her abilities to store and retrieve memories during the April 14, 1925 "Black Sunday" dust storm, she takes under her wing a local teenage basketball staar named Dell, short for Asphodel. Together they concoct a scheme to offer fake memories to those who come to retrieve memories. Dell has recently lost her mother to a murderer and has come to live with her uncle Harp Oletsky, a farmer who seems unexplainably been spared some of the worst effects of the drought and dust storms. The main narrators are rounded out by a New Deal photographer, Cleo Allfrey, who is traveling the west to provide pictures that would support Roosevelt's agenda.  Cleo comes into posssession of a camera which takes picture not of what is seen through the lense but instead of what historically existed or what could possibly exist in the future on that piece of land. She says of this inexplicable phenomenon that "The emptiness of any place is an illusion.  That's what this camera has taught me. Any piece of earth is brimming over with living (p. 319)."There are a couple of ancillary narrators, too: a sentient scarecrow, which is also spared the ravages of the storms, and a cat. All are ultimately involved in an effort to reveal the cover up of the sheriff, who has arrested and sentenced to death a young hobo for the murder of several women in the area, including Dell's mother. 

The Washington Post praises the book, noting at one point in their review, "what’s wondrous about “The Antidote” is how implacably it keeps swelling, gathering up swaths of history. In some sections, we’re drawn into a brutal institution for unwed mothers, which allows Russell to examine the way sexual roles were proscribed and enforced to control young women. We learn about Polish peasants who escaped oppression in Europe to settle in Nebraska, Native Americans who were removed from this land to make room for White farmers, and the agricultural malpractice that contributed to the Dust Bowl." 

NPR calls this a "spellbinding" and "epic American novel." Kirkus also praises, saying "Russell has always expertly woven the strange into depictions of the everyday, and her long-awaited second novel is no exception." They close with these comments: "A singular, haunting vision that fearlessly excavates the past and challenges the reader to face the future head-on. A storytelling tour de force that lives up to the promise of its name." Publishers Weekly calls it "an inspired and unforgettable fusion of the gritty and the fantastic." The New York Times says the book "blends speculative and fantasy elements with rich language and vivid characters in an effort not to escape reality but to comment even more thoughtfully on it....Sometimes you need to invoke the impossible to capture the truth."They go on to praise, "Russell’s lyrical writing dazzles on every page."

 

 

The Fox Wife

This novel by Yangsze Choo defies genre definition. Booklist offers this summary and recommendation: "In early 1900s Manchuria, aging detective Bao is enlisted to uncover the identity of a courtesan found frozen in a doorway. Superstitious locals claim she was lured to her death by a fox in human form. The case has special significance for Bao, who has unofficially investigated rumors about foxes since a childhood visit to a shrine that may have resulted in the gift of telling truth from lies. Elsewhere, a mysterious woman named Snow joins the household of a family whose eldest sons seem fated to die before age 24. Unbeknownst to the family, Snow has come to town with ulterior motives--she's seeking revenge for the death of her daughter. These two seemingly disparate stories soon converge as Snow and Bao seek the same man, and people from their pasts reemerge in surprising ways. Equal parts detective story, folktale, and family saga, the highly anticipated latest novel by Choo ...will appeal to fans of diverse, imaginative literary fiction, historical mysteries ..., and fantasy ..."

Publishers Weekly closes their review by saying "Choo's writing is lush and the slow revelation of complicated relationships and reunions hum with tension. This is a treat." I agree with their assessment that the writing is lovely and that this is a very slow burn. I initially found the switching of narrators in alternating chapters to be distracting. This is a common storyline structure but in this case the timelines of the the two narrators do not synch up until later in the book. 

Kirkus offers this summary and review: " The rich Asian tradition of fox folklore provides the backdrop for Choo’s complex and atmospheric tale of identity and discovery set in early 1900s Manchuria. Snow (later also referred to as Ah San) narrates the story of her search for a shadowy figure—the photographer Bektu Nikan—during the waning days of the Qing dynasty. She crosses Manchuria and travels to Japan in her efforts to locate the man she believes is responsible for the death of her very young daughter. Snow’s slow reveal of her trek and travails is often whimsical or wry and is particularly informative about the habits and practices of the shape-shifting foxes who are believed to appear in human form. Quite reasonably, this knowledge is derived from Snow’s own experiences…as a fox. Running on an eventual collision course is the slowly evolving story of a private investigator, the aging Bao, whose initial assignment is to determine the identity of a woman whose body was found frozen and dead outside a restaurant. As he follows the scant clues in that case, he becomes more and more enmeshed in circumstances that lead him into the orbit of Snow and her growing posse of humans and foxes. (Events in Bao’s early childhood have encouraged his belief in the presence of human-seeming foxes and have also left him with the personally and professionally helpful ability to discern when a lie is being told.) As the circuitous and alternating stories unfold and begin to converge, coincidence and historical events play out. Snow’s difficulties as both a fox and a young woman in a man’s world are clearly drawn, as is the pathos of Bao’s situation as a gentle soul who’s always been in search of something or someone.An intriguing vulpine mystery worth the suspension of disbelief."

 

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Publishers Weekly offers this summary and recommendation of Anna Johnston's debut novel: "Johnston debuts with a sweet story of mistaken identity and second chances. The narrative begins with a failed rescue attempt, as impoverished widower Fred Fife tries to help a nonresponsive man, who turns out to be nursing home resident Bernard Greer, away from a river's edge. After Bernard falls into the river and is carried out of sight, a harried nursing home employee ushers Fred, who looks just like Bernard, back to the home. Because Bernard exhibited signs of dementia, nobody believes Fred's insistence that he doesn't belong there, and when Bernard's body is discovered with Fred's wallet, which fell into the river during the botched rescue attempt, he's identified by the police as Fred. After Fred's initial resistance, he settles into the relative comfort of the home, befriending fellow resident Albert, who, in his dementia, believes Fred is his brother. When Bernard's estranged daughter, Hannah, appears at the nursing home, Fred, who always longed for children and deeply misses his late wife, decides to lean into his lie to offer Hannah a happy and supportive version of the man who abandoned her. Johnston places the painful realities of grief and aging alongside Fred's puckish antics and lands a convincingly hopeful ending. The result is a triumphant last act story." Similarly, Library Journal describes the book as "a heartwarming story about growing old, grief and learning to navigate life's many challenges." And Booklist concludes their review with similar sentiments: "This touching narrative explores themes of community, family, and the redemptive power of new beginnings, illustrating the impact of past choices and the potential for personal transformation."

I found the book almost too sweet for my taste. I didn't dislike the book but it never really engaged me either.  

Dear Committee Members

This epistolary novel by Julie Schumacher is a snarky send up of academia at a small college. Jay Fitger is a professor of English and creative writing who shares his candid views of students--present and former, colleagues, the administration, and his ex-wife among others. 

Library Journal offers this summary: "Jason Fitger, professor of English at a small liberal arts college, is experiencing the death of the humanities in higher education. While his colleagues in the "money making" departments have all the perks imaginable, his department has suffered budget cuts and staff eliminations. Fitger's own writing languishes in the face of relentless interruptions, from writing letters of recommendation for students to commenting on departmental activities to seeking work for his last remaining grad student. Also included in the story is his lively correspondence with his ex-wife and his ex-girlfriend, both of whom also work on campus. In his copious correspondence, he is not afraid to state his mind, even when it's not appropriate to do so... Sadly, Schumacher... has nailed the state of higher education exactly. She has done so with humor and wit, using this one-sided correspondence to tell a larger story. " 

 Kirkus describes our letter writer as "a caustic, frustrated and cautiously hopeful English professor named Jason Fitger. He's a former literary wunderkind who parodied his own writing teacher in a successful first novel called Stain 20 years ago and has since parlayed three unsuccessful follow-ups into a tenured position at a small liberal arts college."  They close their review with "It’s an unusual form for comedy, but it works. "Truth is stranger than fiction in this acid satire of the academic doldrums. Publishers Weekly calls Fitger "a man who exudes both humor and heart."    The New York Times calls the book "terrific" and "hilarious." NPR closes their review with "Like the best works of farce, academic or otherwise, Dear Committee Members deftly mixes comedy with social criticism and righteous outrage. By the end, you may well find yourself laughing so hard it hurts."

This is a light read that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the politics and personalities of academia.   

Curtain Call

This is an oldie but goody--revived by Vintage Books in 2015--that takes place between World Wars I and II in 1936 London. A rising star of the stage, actress Nina Land, has embarked on an affair with a married man, Stephen Wyley, who is the portrait painter  in demand with high society. Quite by accident, Nina interrupts ann attempted murder by a serial killer and unwittingly put a target on her back. Through various social contacts, Nina re-encounters the intended victim, Madeleine Farewell and they collaborate on providing the police a drawing of the potential killer. The brassy larger-than-life theatre critic, Jimmy Erskine, plays an outsized role in epitomizing the moral ambiguity of the age, keeping his life as a homosexual a secret even while constantly flirting with imprisonment through his "recklessly promiscuous" behavior. (The Independent). His talented secretary Tom Tunner is keeping his own secret about his epilepsy as he doesn't want to be  defined by his disease. Madeleine and Tom cross paths and begin a friendship, based on the shared secret of Tom's health and the not shared secret of Madeleine's life as an escort. The Author's Note says that he didn't want the who done it to dominate the story, but rather let the characters he created weave their way toward a conclusion. The New York Times concurs with this approach by saying that "This is a novel that would work as a character study alone — Quinn is that good — but it also happens to be a terrifically satisfying whodunit." The reviewer goes on to effuse "I cannot recommend “Curtain Call” highly enough. As a story, as a mystery, as a visit to between-the-wars London. Basically, drop everything you’re doing and read it." The Guardian calls this a "faultless murder mystery" and goes on to provide a lengthier summary of the characters and storyline. The Independent describes "Quinn's refined narrative voice ... as crisp, melodious and sure-footed..." and closes by saying the book is "a beautifully written, absorbing work of historical fiction."

 

Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone

Benjamin Stevenson has set out to create a very twisty murder mystery that would adhere to Ronald Knox's "10 Commandments of Detective Fiction"(1929) written in the Golden Age of mystery writers. 

The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.

All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.

Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.

No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.

No Chinaman must figure in the story.

No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.

The detective must not himself commit the crime.

The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.

The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.

Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.

 

Our narrator, Ernest Cunningham ("call me Ern"), is an author of "how to" books for aspiring writers and is also trying to solve the murder while explaining his writing process which endeavors to stick to the rules. Ern's Aunt Katherine has arranged a family reunion in an Australian ski resort for this very dysfunctional family: mother Audrey, step-father Marcelo, step-sister Sophia, brother Michael, brother Jeremy (deceased?), Katherine's husband Andy, Michael's wife Lucy, Ern's wife Erin. When an unidentified man turns up dead in very bizarre fashion, Ern begins his search for the killer. Along the way, he reveals how his family members have caused the deaths of other people. Three years ago, Michael "asked Ernie to dispose of a corpse that turned out not to be quite dead yet" (Publishers Weekly). Ern subsequenly testified against his brother who went to jail. but is now being released--hence one of the major rifts in the family dynamics. 

Reviews have been largely positive with Publishers Weekly calling the book "exceptionally clever and amusing " and concluding "Stevenson carries off this tour de force with all the aplomb of a master magician who conducts his tricks in plain view." The Washington Post's Maureen Corrigan praises "Stevenson not only “plays fair,” he plays the mystery game very, very well." Kirkus delivers a more modest review closing with "This book and its author are cleverer than you and want you to know it."

The Keeper

This is the 3rd installment of Tana French's "Cal Hooper" series; see my posts for the previous two books  for more background (The Searcher and The Hunter).  A young woman who is engaged to the son of Ardnakelty's wealthiest man apparently kills herself by drinking anti-freeze and then drowning in the river. The concensus is that she committed suicide but the rumors swirl about why she would have done that. Cal and Lena are reluctantly dragged into trying to find an answer because of Trey's obsession with the incident. As usual, the pacing is slow but beautifully written and you will be carried along by the maturing Trey and the town's dynamics for keeping secrets. 

Library Journal gushes "French is an expert at writing suspense and depicting the stifling tensions of small towns, and her final book in the Cal Hooper trilogy ...brings Cal's story to a pulse-pounding conclusion." Publishers Weekly rightly calls the novel "atmospheric" and I agree with their assessment "Though the serpentine final 100 pages are nail-biting, this will be best enjoyed by readers already familiar with Ardnakelty and its quirky cast of characters." Kirkus says it is "great crime fiction." 

How to Read a Book

This book by Monica Wood is a heart-warming story of mistakes and recoveries and the enormous impact of kindness. Here is Booklist's summary and review: 

"Every Friday, for 2 hours, 12 incarcerated women gather to discuss books with Harriet, a retired English teacher whom they affectionately refer to as Bookie. Violet is one of these 12 women, a 22-year-old who is released after serving 2 years for a drunk-driving accident that left a kindergarten teacher dead. Feeling lost and adrift as she attempts to establish a life for herself in Portland, Violet decides to buy the book she never got to finish in the book club and runs into Harriet at the bookstore. Their chance encounter takes a somewhat dramatic turn when the store's handyman (and the husband of the woman who died in the car crash) sees them and seemingly lunges at Violet. But this initial interaction turns into something much more meaningful as an unlikely friendship forms among them. Told with compassion and empathy, Wood's... tender novel explores the ways people can surprise themselves and others. A deeply humane and touching novel; highly recommended..."

A more comprehensive summary of the story is here at SuperSummary. 

Publishers Weekly was less flattering as they called the book "simplistic" and "predictable"; whereas Kirkus gushes "A finely wrought story, beautifully told, with deeply memorable characters." I really liked the book but decide for yourself.