Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine

Janet Evanovich just keeps churning out new installments in the "Stephanie Plum" series. The plots are fairly predictable and the characters have become familiar to her regular readers--I think I have read every one. Still, they are an amusing light read. Stephanie and Lula are concerned when they come to the bail bonds office one Monday morning to find neither Connie nor her regular box of donuts are there. It turns out she has been kidnapped and Stephanie is determined to rescue Connie without anyone else learning that she's been kidnapped. Of course, Lula is along for the ride. When the kidnappers call and demand a coin that was provided as bail for a recently murdered man, things go from bad to worse, because the coin is nowhere to be found. A phone call to Vinnie, who is out of town is no help as he doesn't even remember taking the coin. Stephanie and Lula track down the coin's previous owner to get a description and then head off to a comic book convention to try and find a replacement. When that fails to satisfy the kidnappers, the threats to Connie's well-being escalate. Of course Ranger has to assist with some less than legal information gathering and with keeping Stephanie safe. This time around, more than a car gets destroyed. Publishers Weekly describes the book as "fast and fun," concluding "This fetchingly frivolous entry may not be Evanovich’s best, but it satisfies." Booklist is considerably more enthusiastic as they gush "Irreverent, raucous, bawdy, and always laugh-out-loud hilarious, this is Evanovich at her brilliant best."

The Book of Lost Friends

This book by Lisa Wingate tells two intertwined stories, one set largely in the Reconstruction era South and one that is set in a small and still largely segregated town, Augustine, Louisiana in the 1980's. Hannie Gossett is a freed slave now working a sharecropping farm with an aunt and 2 brothers at the destitute Goswood Grove, the plantation where she and her family were enslaved. When she sees a girl sneaking into the plantation house after dark, she confronts her and finds out she is the illegitimate Creole daughter of Hannie's former master. She claims to be the rightful heir to Goswood Grove, but her half sister, Lavinia, denies it. Neither has the paperwork to prove their case and they decide to look for their father, who was headed to Texas two years ago and never returned. Hannie throws her lot in with them, disguised as a boy who can drive their wagon. It is a harrowing journey filled with predators of the human variety and a few surprisingly good people who want to help them.  Novice English teacher Bennedetta ("Benny") Silva has taken a job in the high school of the town that grew up around Goswood Grove. In a desperate attempt to engage her apathetic students, she borrows records from both the Goswood Grove library and the town library and asks the students to pick a real person and find out as much about them as they can. Links from the past to present day families slowly emerge. There is a minor romantic storyline that is entirely predictable and uninspiring. 

Reviews were mixed. Booklist asserts that "Wingate...makes history come alive with the dual tale of formerly enslaved Hannie Gossett in 1875 and Benedetta "Benny" Silva in 1987. Punctuating their struggles are real "Lost Friends," advertisements from a southern Methodist newspaper that featured messages from those searching for loved ones lost and separated by slavery." And they conclude, "Historical fiction fans will appreciate the authentic articles and the connection between modern times and the past, while adventure lovers will enjoy a voyage reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn." Library Journal tells us that "After the Civil War, the Southern Christian Advocate, a newspaper for the African American community distributed throughout the South, included a column called "Lost Friends" that allowed individuals to advertise for information about missing loved ones, generally sold off or stolen before or during the war. That column is the inspiration for this enthralling and ultimately heartening new novel from Wingate...Emphasizing throughout that stories matter and should never go untold, Wingate has written an absorbing historical for many readers." Publishers Weekly, however, says the book is a "disappointing outing" that is "marred by a lack of depth." Their conclusion is even more derogatory, "This underwhelming tale is sunk by its surfeit of deficiencies"

Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus

This non-fiction narrative about the initial reporting of and the search for origins of the SARS CoV-2 was a fascinating and enlightening read, as was David Quammen's previous book on a similar, broader topic, Spillover. During the pandemic, Quammen managed to monitor multiple virology databases and websites and interview over 95 eminent researchers and practitioners: infectious disease researchers, infectious disease ecologists, virologists, experts on the genetics and ecology of coronaviruses, evolutionary biologists, epidemiologists, public health officials, microbiologists, forensic DNA researchers, and more. He provides a brief biographical note on each person interviewed (for 1.5 - 2 hours on Zoom)  at the end of the book, along with an exhaustive bibliography of written sources consulted, and detailed notes on the text. He is truly an amazing researcher and science writer. He also clarifies some of the misinformation and out of context data that led to various conspiracy theories about the virus. Read his web page to find out why he was asked to write the book .

There are glowing reviews from multiple sources. The NYT closes with these quotes from the book: "'This virus is going to be with us forever,' Quammen warns, with a wealth of data and precedent to support him. We haven’t eradicated polio or measles. 'And those viruses have nowhere to hide except within humans.' This one could be cleared from every living human, and still exist in other animals. 'Covid-19 won’t be our last pandemic of the 21st century. It probably won’t be our worst.' In our international world, as one scientist tells Quammen, 'A disease anywhere is a disease everywhere.'” Similarly, The Guardian praises, "Few writers are able to understand the strings of amino acids that give these viruses their distinctive codes, let alone relate them to other Sars-like viruses. And even fewer possess the literary gifts necessary to make the genomics comprehensible to lay readers. Fortunately, David Quammen...is one of them." And Kirkus concurs, "An authoritative new history of Covid-19 and its predecessors...Unsettling global health news brilliantly delivered by an expert."

Murder in Old Bombay

This debut and award-winning novel by Nev March was picked for our mystery book group last month. Anglo-Indian Captain Jim Agnihotri has been badly injured in a military skirmish at the Karachi border and is recovering in the hospital when he learns of the suspicious deaths of two young women in Bombay. This is supposedly based on true events. No longer fit for service due to his injury, he is at loose ends until he offers the widower of one of the victims--the scion of a prominent Parsee family-- to try and solve the mystery. Adi Framji was also the brother of the other victim, and although the official verdict was suicide, he's convinced neither of them would have done that. Captain Jim has filled his time in hospital reading Sherlock Holmes novels and is anxious to try out his deductive methods. Soon joined in the investigation by Adi's other sister, Lady Diana Framji, Captain Jim is smitten although he realizes the difference in their social classes make such a relationship totally out of bounds. 

Publishers Weekly has good things to say about the book, notably "March fills the story with finely developed characters, particularly Agnihotri, who proves a zealous investigator. She also presents an authentic view of India under British rule while exploring the challenges faced by a character of mixed race." Likewise, Kirkus offers "March’s crisply written debut combines fascinating historic details with a clever puzzle." The New York Journal of Books offers an insightful examination of the underlying system of British colonialism that effects both characters and actions.

Golden State

I just loved the premise of this book by Ben Winter,  i.e., "In a strange alternate society that values law and truth above all else, Laszlo Ratesic is a nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service. He lives in the Golden State, a nation standing where California once did, a place where like-minded Americans retreated after the erosion of truth and the spread of lies made public life and governance impossible." But I felt that it sort of fizzled out after a very confusing reveal. According to his website, Winter is a "data scientist working in the mobile technology industry..." who writes futuristic dystopias. 

Publishers Weekly offers a brief storyline which goes " in the near future, California is a sovereign state governed by absolute truth, and telling a lie can result in jail time or worse. Laszlo Ratesic, a veteran police officer whose innate ability to know when someone is lying helps him piece together unsolved crimes, investigates the death of a construction worker who fell off of a roof during a job. The seemingly accidental fatality is filled with anomalies, which leads Ratesic and the young female officer he’s mentoring to uncover a grand-scale conspiracy with staggering implications." One of those anomalies is a novel hidden inside the cover of a dictionary that Lazlo and partner find in the victim's apartment. Of course novels (being fiction) are strictly forbidden reading. Lazlo believes in the premise of the Golden State until he finds himself unexplainably drawn into reading the novel. I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling some of the surprising twists and turns. In the end, Publishers Weekly was disappointed, concluding that "Winters’s exploration into the nature of truth will grip many readers, but this ambitious novel misses the mark." Kirkus, on the other hand, offers a more favorable recommendation, "it’s still a skillful and swift-moving concoction. For those who like their dystopias with a dash of humor. No lie." I would agree with Kirkus' comparison to author Philip K. Dick's novels (e.g. he wrote the novels on which the movies Blade Runner and Minority Report were based.) Whereas the Library Journal compares his work to other famous dystopian authors, saying "VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of dystopian fiction, especially those who enjoy classics of the genre, such as George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World."

The Book of Lost Friends

This pair of interwoven storylines by Lisa Wingate is well written but often hard to read for a couple of reasons. The subject matter of slavery and the continuing horrors of the "post-slavery/ Reconstruction" period is emotionally stressful. The other aspect of the book I found annoying was the constant back and forth between the stories narrated by Hannie Gossett who is a freed slave in her late teens and the more contemporary story of Benny Silva, a new teacher in a small Louisiana town working at a poor and largely minority-student school. It's not that this is an uncommon approach to story telling, but the transitions seemed so frequent that I would just be getting engrossed in one storyline and then get jerked into the other.  Library Journal summarizes the starting point for this story: "After the Civil War, the Southern Christian Advocate, a newspaper for the African American community distributed throughout the South, included a column called "Lost Friends" that allowed individuals to advertise for information about missing loved ones, generally sold off or stolen before or during the war. That column is the inspiration for this enthralling and ultimately heartening new novel from Wingate..." They go on to praise this book, saying "Emphasizing throughout that stories matter and should never go untold, Wingate has written an absorbing historical for many readers." Similarly, Booklist states that Wingate "makes history come alive with the dual tale of formerly enslaved Hannie Gossett in 1875 and Benedetta "Benny" Silva in 1987...Historical fiction fans will appreciate the authentic articles and the connection between modern times and the past, while adventure lovers will enjoy a voyage reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn."

On the other hand, Publishers Weekly did not provide a positive review, concluding, "This underwhelming tale is sunk by its surfeit of deficiencies." To her credit as an author of historical fiction, Wingate offers sources for follow up, such as: over 2500 real-life Lost Friends ads in the Lost Friends Database: https://www.hnoc.org/database/lost-friends/index.html

Dead Dead Girls

This book by Nekesa Afia is intended to be the first of a series, "A Harlem Renaissance Mystery," featuring Louise -- AKA "Lovie -- Lloyd, a 26-year-old lesbian Black woman living in 1920's Harlem.  Louise is trying her best to escape the strictures of a too controlling home situation and her reputation as "Harlem's Hero," a title given to her when she was 16 and, not only escaped after being kidnapped, but helped free three of her fellow captive girls. She spends her days waitressing at Maggie's Cafe and her nights at the Zodiac speakeasy dancing her heart out with friend and lover, Rosa Maria Moreno. When an inebriated Louise intervenes in a racially motivated arrest by punching a white detective in the nose, she is given an ultimatum. She can either help the senior detective solve the murders of 3 young Black women or go to jail. But if you're a Black, can you ever really trust the police? If you're older like I am, you might get a bit exhausted following Lovie's high level of risky activity, but you will certainly feel that you've gotten a feel for the Harlem of the 20's. 

Publishers Weekly concludes that "Readers will root for intrepid, fiery Louise, who elevates the mystery despite a disjointed investigation and haphazard denouement. The author couples tender relationships with strong senses of era and place. Afia has made an auspicious start." Kirkus calls the setting "vibrant" and says "Louise’s fight for respect and dignity is depicted with infectious passion."

A Private Cathedral

This is an earlier book by James Lee Burke that still features Dave Robicheaux--this is the 23rd installment in that series. As with all his books (and I have read several), the writing is compelling and atmospheric, even though often very dark. This book has a bit of Romeo and Juliet plot that involves young lovers from two crime families that have been mortal enemies for decades. There is also an element of the supernatural here, as there was in Burke's most recent book, Every Cloak Rolled in Blood. It's a challenge for Dave and his troublesome but loyal sidekick and former detective colleague, Clete Purcel, to battles a time traveling assassin. 

Erik Larson (one of my favorite non-fiction writers) in his WSJ review calls this genre of Burke's writing "Louisiana gothic" and claims that this is his favorite book in the series.   D offers a mixed review, concluding "Whether or not you buy the metaphor of reincarnation here, it goes a long way toward explaining the thread that links Dave’s 23 grandly repetitive adventures." The New York Journal of Books has a much more detailed plot line in their review and offer these perspectives: "As usual in Burke’s books, Robicheaux faces his own guilt over killings in Vietnam and his on-again, off-again love affair with alcohol...Robicheaux is twice-widowed, which makes his loneliness and desire a poignant obstacle as he tries to do the right thing for people who are on a highway to hell...the story achieves a satisfying resolution, moral or divine justice where everyone gets what he or she deserves, whether or not the earthbound courts would agree." Publishers Weekly calls the book "superb" and rounds out their review by saying "An imaginative blend of crime and other genres, Burke’s existential drama is both exquisitely executed and profoundly moving."

Rituals

This is the sequel to the Mary Anna Evans book I read a few months ago, Plunder. Obviously I enjoyed the first one enough to read another. This is the 8th installment in the Faye Longchamps series. Amande Landreneau, the orphaned teenager that Faye and husband Joe Wolf Mantooth rescued and adopted in that previous book is helping Faye with a tedious project going through a private collection to identify is anything is of worth, and to catalog everything in the collection. While in this small town of Rosebower, NY, which was established by spiritualists, they encounter a colorful cast of characters. Of course there is a murder and maybe another in the offing if Faye cannot figure out who is cheating to gain power in the local community. 

Kirkus closes their brief review with this note: "The emphasis on the spirit world makes this a bit of a departure from Evans’ usual historical and archaeological themes (Plunder, 2012, etc.), but it’s certainly a well-plotted and enjoyable mystery." Similarly, Publishers Weekly says, "A superior puzzle plot lifts Evans’s eighth Faye Longchamp mystery...Evans pulls all the pieces nicely together in the end."

When Women Were Dragons

I really wanted to like this book by Kelly Barnhill...after all, who can resist that title?  And she has won numerous prizes and awards for her children's books, including the Newbery Medal for The Girl Who Drank the Moon. And I loved the premise--that every woman had some dragon in them, and when they reached for that power they could, in fact, become dragons. But overall the book felt like it dragged and ended on such a sticky sweet note that I can't wholly recommend it.

Set in a 1950's era America, math and science prodigy Alexandra Green (it's Alex for those who care) is abandoned by her favorite aunt, Marla, who is part of the mass dragoning disappearance of tens of thousands of women in 1955; by her mother who shortly therafter dies of cancer; and by her father, who quickly remarries the proverbial secretary to start a new family. Literally, he shoves teenage Alex and her young cousin, Beatrice, in a run-down apartment and sends them rent and food money once a month--until he, too, dies. Fortunately Alex has the support of the local public librarian, who is a force to be reckoned with.

Kirkus, on the other hand, extolls the storyline: "In lesser hands the dragon metaphor would feel simplistic and general, but Barnhill uses it to imagine different ways of living, loving, and caring for each other. The result is a complex, heartfelt story about following your heart and opening your mind to new possibilities. This novel’s magic goes far beyond the dragons." The New York Times offers a more thought provoking review. Publishers Weekly also closes on a positive note, "Barnhill makes palpable Alex’s sense of loss as well as the strictures of mid-century American life. This allegory packs a punch."

Cackle

I was in the mood for something a bit more frivolous and this book by Rachel Harrison certainly filled the bill. But there is also a strong flavor of feminism here. This is the review from Booklist:

"Annie's boyfriend was her world; then he dumped her. She can't afford to live in New York City without him paying half of the rent so she moves to a small town to teach. Right away, nothing is quite right. The town is magazine-perfect, but there are persistent spiders everywhere. Before she meets and befriends Sophie, Annie has no one, but then she quickly realizes there is something off about Sophie. The townspeople are terrified of Sophie, who talks as if she has lived quite some time. After she curses a boy in Annie's class, it is clear that Sophie is a witch. Still, Annie is not comfortable in her own company; if she's alone, she seeks solace in alcohol, texting her ex, and later on, a friendly spider. Annie is, at times, annoying, whiny, frustrating, endearing, and interesting. But she doesn't stay that way, with Sophie's help. Sophie's attention toward Annie is a psychological cat-and-mouse game as Sophie wants a witch friend. Annie's evolution from lonely teacher to witch will hypnotize readers." For an additional review, check out Publishers Weekly

Hurricane Girl

This short novel by Marcy Dermansky left me asking, what's the point? Here's the book blurb:

"Allison Brody is thirty-two and newly arrived on the East Coast after just managing to flee her [abusive] movie producer boyfriend. She has some money, saved up from years of writing and waitressing, and so she spends it, buying a small house on the beach. But then a Category 3 hurricane makes landfall and scatters her home up and down the shore, leaving Allison adrift. Should she go home from the bar with the strange cameraman and stay in his guest room? Is that a glass vase he smashed on her skull? Can she wipe the blood from her eyes, get in her car, and drive to her mother's? Does she really love the brain surgeon who saved her, or is she just using him for his swimming pool? And is it possible to ever truly heal without seeking some measure of revenge?"  None of these questions really seem to matter to me.

However, several reviewers liked the book, including my go-to source, Kirkus. They offer this assessment: "Small comic gems sparkle in their deadpan settings on every page. No matter how bad things get, Alison's running joke to herself—she still has her health—never ceases to amuse her, though at a certain point, 'she did not think anyone else would think it was funny.' She’s wrong about that. The only bad thing about this book is that you will likely finish it in one sitting." Library Journal says "The ending is satisfying, if unconventional." The New York Times says the book is "hilarious. Dermansky’s offbeat humor and spare prose make Allison’s mind a thrilling and wholly unusual place to be." and they go on to conclude, "This is a wickedly entertaining read from first to last."

On the other hand, Publishers Weekly agreed with me. "In Dermansky’s lackluster latest (after Very Nice), a young woman contends with a certain well-worn millennial malaise. Allison Brody, 32 [is]'sick of everybody and everything...There’s some deliciously dry humor...but the surreal aura doesn’t really develop into anything substantial or comprehensible. Readers are left with a Moshfegh-like vibe, but without a strong character or story. This one is safe to skip."

Two NIghts in Lisbon

This twisty mystery by Chris Pavone was chosen by my mystery book group and had me guessing until the end. And the ending has made me and others in my book group feel like we need to re-read the book to see how the author tricked us about so many things. Kirkus Reviews delivers an admirable intro duction to the plot and provokes potential readers' curiosity. They conclude by saying, "This high-stakes drama grabs your attention and doesn’t let go." Publishers Weekly likewise gushes that the book is a "superior, elegantly crafted yarn."  The New York Times is more positive about the author than the book itself and concludes with these comments about Pavone and his writing: "this smart, calculating author remains many notches above others in his field. He is worldly and inviting when it comes to the book’s mostly European settings. His book captures a vacation’s escapism even as its heroine feels walls closing in."

Cloud Cuckoo Land

Based on my less than enthusiastic reaction to All the Light We Cannot See, I wasn't too excited about reading my book group's July pick--the new 600+ page novel of Anthony Doerr's. And in fact the first 300-400 pages were a real struggle to keep reading. I had heard several people say the first half of the book was hard but the 2nd half made it worth while; that wasn't my experience. Although well-crafted in many ways, it's not a book I would recommend or say that it added value to my life. It's like he did all this research on the three time frames (Turkey/ Ottoman Empire in the mid 15th C, more contemporary U.S., and the future. His characters are largely children and his explanation about why that is so from this interview with him is very enlightening. 

Of course, unlike me, many of my fellow book group members, as well as most of the major reviewers ( NYT,  NPR, The Guardian, Kirkus, etc.) were effusively positive about this book. But the Washington Post's review is more in line with my reaction. Here is their conclusion:

Any one of these stories — except the sci-fi tale, which has a moldy “Twilight Zone” funk — might have made a compelling novel. But Doerr has not only packed them together, he’s put them in a blender and then laid out the bits in a great scramble, as though his own book were a textual puzzle as complicated as the ancient Diogenes codex.

“'What really matters,' one of the many insightful children proclaims, 'is that the story gets passed on.' Yes, libraries are awesome, and we all love books. But the artificial convolutedness of “Cloud Cuckoo Land” is not enough to confer any additional depth on Doerr’s simple, belabored theme, a theme that thumps through the novel insisting that every character kneel in reverent submission.

What’s worse, julienning these disparate plots saps them of their natural drama, and no amount of grandiose narration can pump that tension back in. The fall of Constantinople inches forward so deliberately you’ll think you’re dragging the sultan’s great cannon along the ground by yourself.

That problem becomes even more acute in the contemporary sections. While Zeno and the children are practicing their theatrical adaptation of “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” an eco-terrorist slips into the library carrying a homemade bomb equipped with a cellphone trigger. It’s a terrifying setup, but the scenes are laboriously sliced almost into individual breaths. Had I known the cellphone number, I would have dialed it myself."

Sweet Revenge

Every once in a while, when I need a break from heavy duty or very dark books, I will pick up something like this book from Diane Mott Davidson--predictable yet fun mysteries featuring Goldy Schultz, caterer extraordinaire who lives in the mythical Denver bedroom community of Aspen Meadow. We jump into Goldy's life in the middle of the holiday season when her schedule is jam packed with the usual assortment of wealthy, demanding, and irascible customers. As usual, murder intervenes when former district attorney Drew Wellington is murdered at the public library while Goldy is setting up a staff holiday party.   

Kirkus gives this one a lukewarm review but notes that the recipes are worth investigating. Publishers Weekly, on the other hand, says that Davidson is "at the top of her form" in this 14th entry in the book series, concluding that "Readers will happily sink their teeth into Goldy's latest case and come away hungry for more."

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood

I have long been a fan of James Lee Burke, but haven't read anything in a while. This book is technically part of his "Holland Family" series. Burke conveniently offers a family tree so you can figure out where the protagonist of this book, 85-year-old Aaron Holland Broussard, fits into the scheme of things. Aaron is a successful author who has recently lost his daughter, Fannie Mae, and lives alone on his ranch in Montana. He is so bereft that he beckons his daughter back from the other side--and that's just the beginning of this ghost story. While his daughter is trying to protect him from both the living and dead, there are malevolent spirits that are committing horrendous crimes in the present day. Broussard teams up with a much younger Native American woman, Ruby Spotted Horse, who is also a state trooper and the keeper of a gate that is supposed to contain the evil spirits (the Old People). Much of the story revolves around the atrocities committed by certain cavalry commanders against Native Americans on the very land where Broussard's ranch now stands. But there is also corruption aplenty among the living. Kirkus concludes that the book is "Less mystery than history, less history than prophecy, and all the stronger for it." Publishers Weekly also recommends the book, saying "this is one of those extraordinary crime novels that feels more like real life, with incidents and people that aren’t obviously connected piling up in the protagonist’s life, rather than a neat set of clues pointing to a culprit. Once again, Burke uses genre fiction to plumb weighty issues, both social and emotional." Specifically, Booklist notes that "Burke rolls together the driving themes that have dominated his work--the inescapable presence of evil, the restorative power of love, the desecration of the planet, humanity's long slouch toward Armageddon--into an intensely, heartrendingly personal exploration of grief."

The Love of My Life

This book by Rosie Walsh will keep you guessing until the end. I felt like it dragged out the big reveal far too long. However, reviewers were much more complimentary. The Washington Post's Maureen Corrigan calls this a "masterful domestic thriller with a doozy of a plot,"  and I totally respect Ms. Corrigan's reviews. Corrigan goes on to say, "a classic example of the “I married a stranger” domestic suspense plot — with a twist. Usually, the partner with a secret triggers suspicion in us canny readers early on. ...But, Emma Merry Bigelow, the enigmatic heroine of Rosie Walsh’s “The Love of My Life,” seems so funny, warm, compassionate and kind that we readers root for her — even though we learn fairly quickly that she’s living under an assumed name and harbors a host of other secrets, something her adoring husband, Leo, doesn’t know about. Walsh just may have written the first domestic suspense novel in which the deceitful spouse is also a genuinely nice person. Maybe." Emma is an "intertidal biologist" and husband Leo is an obituary writer, which is how he discovers that the woman he is still madly in love with after 7 years of marriage isn't who he thought she was--at least not entirely.  He begins digging and fears he has uncovered infidelity and a criminal background. But it's not what he thinks.

Similarly, Kirkus calls the book "a propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing." Publishers Weekly calls it a "heartbreaking thriller" and agrees that it gets off to a slow start, but concludes  that it " builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion."

Plunder

This book by Mary Anna Evans is the 7th installment in the Faye Longchamps series and, as such, there's a lot of background on the characters that I don't know. Faye is an archaeologist who, in this book, has been married for some time to Joe Wolf Mantooth (Native American) and has a toddler named Michael. They have come along with her, from their home on Joyeaux Island off the coast of Florida, to the Mississippi delta to provide a survey of archaeological sites that are in the line of fire from the recently exploded Deepwater Horizon oil platform. While there, she meets precocious 16-year-old amateur treasure hunter Amande Landreneau, who lives on a decrepit houseboat with her voodoo mambo grandmother. Amande is equally fascinated with ancient artifacts and shows Faye some of the ones she has found in the area. But within days, both an uncle who Amande has never met and her grandmother are murdered, throwing Amande's future into question. Her mother disappeared when Amande was a baby, and the father has never been in the picture, but the vultures quickly descend trying to take the houseboat and what little income might come to Amande through some oil shares her mother had. Faye and Joe want to protect Amande but must also get this enormous survey done before the oil covers everything and may even begin to threaten their home in Florida. I would gladly read more in this series and agree with Publishers Weekly that I "hope to see more of Amande in the sequel." Great characters (Booklist calls then "strong" and "sympathetic"), tight plotting, and colorful settings.

As the New York Journal of Books notes, the threat of the impending oil pollution provides as much tension in the story as do the murders. The reviewer goes on to say that "Strong heroines are always a pleasure to read about and both Faye and Amande fit that bill," and go on to say "highly recommended."

Scythe

This is the first book in Neal Shusterman's "Arc of a Scythe" trilogy and it took home a Prinz Honor award. Set in a "post-mortal" world, disease has been conquered, pain has been eliminated, everyone is guaranteed a comfortable living, and death is a thing of the past. All human knowledge has been gathered in an AI called the Thunderhead, which manages all human affairs optimally. The main problem is that the population keeps growing faster than the Thunderhead can optimize production to support them. Hence the Schythes were created to randomly "glean" a certain number of humans every year. They must follow 10 commandments that are supposed to safeguard them from human follies, but it isn't working. And the Thunderhead has no jurisdiction over the affairs of Scythedom so it cannot intervene to correct the corruption that is eroding the moral order. Two teens, Citra and Rowan, have been selected to be apprentices to Scythe Faraday, one of the Old Guard who still believes that scythes should be compassionate and never want to kill. But a new cohort of scythes, led by Scythe Goddard, seek fame and relish killing; they have become infamous for massacres of dozens or hundreds of people at a time. Since all scythes still abide by a quota, in between their murderous events, they party. When Goddard's clan orchestrates a terrible verdict on the two apprentices, Scythe Faraday ostensibly kills himself to set them free, but Citra and Rowan's troubles are just beginning.

Shusterman raises all sorts of philosophical questions about what makes life worth living in the interspersed entries of the scythes' journals. Chapters are told either from the perspective of Citra or Rowan. Characters are well-developed and the ending was a satisfying one, so it was worth the read and I will eventually get to Thunderhead, the sequel. Kirkus's review concluded: "A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning." School Library Journal says, "A brilliant and gripping sci-fi thriller that acutely explores the consequences of worldwide immortality and asks readers to think critically about the nature of morality." And Publishers Weekly says the story "is guaranteed to make readers think deeply."

The Nature of Fragile Things

This book by Susan Meissner is set primarily in and around SanFrancisco in the year leading up and following the earthquake that destroyed most of the city in 1906. Protagonist Sophie Whalen, a young Irish immigrant desperate to escape the tenements of New York City, answers an ad for a mail order bride to a supposedly widowed man with a young daughter. When she arrives, she finds a charismatically handsome man who seems totally uninterested in her, but also his mute child of 5, Katherine (Kat) with whom Sophie falls in love. Sophie has never lived in such a nice house, with enough food to eat but almost no freedom. She is discouraged from making friends with the neighbors by her husband, Martin Hocking; most of the neighbors are wealthier anyway and only one shows interest in Sophie and Kat, although it is more of the condescending rich helping the poor sort of attention. Martin supposedly travels for his work as an insurance assessor and is often gone for days at a time, offering Sophie neither the name of his employer, or a schedule of where and when he will be gone. One night a knock at the door brings Sophie's world to an astounding implosion. A young pregnant woman, Belinda, is looking for her husband, having found Sophie's address in his coat pocket. When she sees Sophie's wedding picture on the mantel, she breaks down, swearing the picture is of her husband, James Bigelow.  Martin/James shows up before dawn the next morning and, when he finds Belinda there, he advances toward the women in a threatening manner. But the earthquake's first tremors start and the world is literally upended. Martin ends up at the bottom of the stairs and Sophie drags him to the kitchen, barely conscious as she, Belinda and Kat endeavor to escape the falling buildings and raging fires. Sophie discovers that Kat's mother is not, in fact, dead, but in a sanitorium in Arizona and she makes the painful decision to reunite the two. When Sophie institutes a missing persons report for her husband six weeks after the quake in order to cover herself, a whole new chain of events threatens to put her in prison. 

Publishers Weekly says "The plucky and principled Sophie (who is hiding a few secrets of her own) captivates from the first page, while naive Belinda and sensitive Kat are standouts. Ingeniously plotted and perfectly structured, this captivates from beginning to end." Booklist calls it "an ultimately uplifting story of strong women and found family."

Billy Summers

I have not read much of Stephen King's work, but this was a well constructed, heart-full interweaving of several stories that had me going to the end of the 783 pages. Billy Summers grew up poor. His mother was continually bringing home bad men. When one of them stomped his younger sister to death in a drunken rage, Billy grabbed the man's gun and shot him. Billy was eventually placed in a foster home, joined the Marines as soon as he could, and went to Iraq after being trained as a sniper. Now he makes his living killing bad men. He won't take a job unless he believes the target is seriously a "bad" person....like the man who killed his sister, Cathy. And Billy is not your ordinary assassin; he loves to read but he hides his light beneath a bushel basket of a "dumb self persona" when dealing with his potential employers. The New York Times' reviewer handily informs us that "Among the authors name-checked in its spacious narrative are Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Dickens, Faulkner, Tim O’Brien, Cormac McCarthy and Robert Stone, along with Billy’s own favorites, Thomas Hardy and Émile Zola." When he agrees to take on one final job with a big payout, his antenna immediately begin to suspect something is off. Nevertheless, Billy is a man of his word and he continues living in a small southern town under an assumed identity, posing as a writer with a deadline. In the process, he makes friends with his neighbors and their children, dates a woman from the building where his "office" is, fertilizes his lawn so it looks really nice, and starts writing a fictionalized account of his life. But the book gets less and less fictionalized as he gets closer to the present day. Billy is no fool and he knows he is being set up somehow, so he makes his own plans for escape after the target is killed. Then he becomes the target--with a $6 million bounty on his head. He risks his own safety by rescuing a young woman who is gang raped and she becomes his traveling companion and--almost and then fully--his accomplice in taking out one last very bad man.  

Publishers Weekly describes the book as a "tripwire-taut thriller."The Guardian says it is "his best book in years." Kirkus concludes "Murder most foul and mayhem most entertaining. Another worthy page-turner from a protean master. "

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent

I have been intending to read this book by Isabel Wilkerson for months now. It seems that every time there is a bookcase in view during the interviews on the PBS NewsHour, I see this book on the shelf. It felt like a "must read" and, when my book group agreed to read it, I was sufficiently motivated to plow through this very disheartening exploration of how badly humans are capable of treating one another. I will say that, being a highly educated and reasonably well-read person, I felt I knew a lot about discrimination, slavery, the rise of Nazism, caste in India. BUT there was so much here that I did not know. For example how "race" (skin color) became the basis of justifying dehumanization of enslaved Africans after they began to adopt Christianity and were, therefore, no longer "heathens." How the Nazis looked to American laws to build their own "legal" structures justifying the extermination of Jews and other non-Aryans. That a black man was lynched every 3-4 days between 1900 - 1940 ("Jim Crow" era). I could go on and on. I am including a picture of the library book I read, filled with so many post-it notes that I clearly should have bought the book so I could just underline all the things that stood out to me. 

Trump's election, which puzzled me and a lot of other people who felt that many working class white people were voting against their own interests, was actually an attempt to maintain superiority in the caste system of the U.S. Superiority based on anything as ephemeral as race is, of course, a fragile thing and requires the existence and enforcement of an underclass. She clarifies the distinction between racism, class and caste as she draws comparisons between slavery in the U.S., the caste system in India and the rise of Nazism in Germany. The book is extensively researched and filled with personal stories as well as history, and factual information. It is a tough go but I would have every American read this book to better understand what people of color have endured (and continue to endure) in this country.

The Darkest Game

Detective Tully Jarsdel is known around the homicide division of the LAPD as the "professor policeman" since he abandoned his PhD studies in ancient history to become the oldest recruit. Then he was plucked from among his more senior colleagues for a special detail after excelling at a battery of tests designed to assess flexibility of thinking, an analytical mind...to solve cold and other "unsolvable" cases. He is partnered with a detective--Morales--who finds Jarsdel's expansive knowledge of the esoteric and his pedantic "lessons" to be constant provocation to eye-rolling dismissal.

Author Joseph Schneider himself comes from an unconventional background. His former careers include acting, magic, and teaching dance. This is the 3rd installment in the "Tully Jarsdel" mystery series and is kicked off by the point blank shooting of Dean Burken, senior curator at the Huntington Library and Museum. There are lovely descriptions of both that setting and some of the inner workings of the Huntington. The investigation of the murder soon leads to the community of Avalon on Catalina island following the murder of a member of the Huntington's board of directors.  Throughout, we are offered glimpses of Tully's family life--again, very unconventional--which consists of two fathers, one of whom, Baba, is an Iranian emigre and the other, Dad, who is dying of cancer. We also get tidbits about the persecution of those who would challenge the Ayatolloah, after the Revolution in Iran, that drove Baba to leave.

Kirkus especially likes the "elaborate banter between the two detectives. The rogues’ gallery of suspects is as quirky and colorful as anything in Hammett or Chandler, and Schneider’s plot, while linear, is full of surprises...Morales’ brusque, slangy dialogue plays nicely against Tully’s stylish, erudite speech." And they conclude that this book offers "Juicy prose redolent of classic noir, with contemporary twists." Publishers Weekly is more equivocal in its review, complaining about the "lengthy if astute asides on such topics as the museum business, the city's Persian population (Jarsdel's father emigrated from Iran), L.A. history (including, notably, the genocide of the region's indigenous people), and the moral challenge of police work in general..." but concludes that "This flawed but deeply intelligent novel will reward thoughtful readers."

The Maid

This debut novel by Nina Prose (also Vice-President and Editorial Director of Simon & Schuster, Canada) has received a lot of favorable chat in recent months and my mystery book group chose it for our April read.  Set in an unspecified city (perhaps Toronto) in an unspecified but contemporary time, here is the summary from the publisher:

"A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed, turning her once orderly world upside down--and inspiring a motley crew of unexpected allies to band together to solve the mystery--in this utterly original debut. Molly [Gray] is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and interprets people literally. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has had to navigate life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's odd demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect and she finds herself in a web of subtext and nuance she has no idea how to untangle."

Molly is probably on the spectrum as evidenced by her inability to interpret social cues, although she is accumulating a "library" in her mind of the different meanings a smile can have. Her grandmother's little lessons had always provided Molly with guidance and one of them was that a real smile reaches the eyes.  Still, Molly has a hard time knowing who is a true friend, although she has had plenty of experience with people who treat her badly due to her differences, and that includes the police. I was so worried about her that I had to skip to the last chapter at one point, so I hope I don't spoil it to say that all comes right in the end. I'm not sure how accurate the depiction of Autism Spectrum Disorder is in Molly's case, but she is an endearing character and you'll enjoy the ride of bringing the bad guys to justice. There is also a lot to chew on in terms of how people treat those they see as different or inferior to themselves. 

Library Journal's verdict: "Molly is a likable, neurodivergent narrator in this outstanding debut. The character-rich mystery ends with several twists that will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant and other sympathetic heroines." Likewise, Publishers Weekly concludes, "Prose delivers a gratifying, kindhearted whodunit with a sharply drawn protagonist for whom readers can't help rooting." NPR gushes, "Devotees of cozy mysteries, rejoice: ... The Maid, satisfies on every level — from place to plot to protagonist." Kirkus calls the book "A compelling take on the classic whodunit."

Murder Under Her Skin

This is the Sequel to Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood. From the publisher, "Someone's put a blade in the back of the Amazing Tattooed Woman, and Willowjean "Will" Parker's former knife-throwing mentor has been stitched up for the crime. To uncover the truth, Will and her boss, world-famous detective Lillian Pentecost, travel south to the circus where they find a snakepit of old grudges, small-town crime, and secrets worth killing for. " Ruby Donner, the Tattooed Woman, took Willowjean into the family of Hart and Halloway's circus when Will ran away from an abusive father. When the owner of the circus, diminutive Big Bob Halloway, pleads with them to find Ruby's killer, Will and her brilliant detective boss leave the Big Apple and head for...Stoppard, Virginia. Turns out that Ruby grew up in Stoppard and left just before graduating high school, never to return. In their efforts to prove the alcoholic knife thrower Valentin Kalishenko innocent, Ms. Pentecost and Will work to uncover who in town might hold an old grudge against Ruby and, in the process, uncover long-buried secrets of Ruby's. Will gets involved with Ruby's old boyfriend, now an amputee from the war who works as a policeman in town. There are several possibilities among local ne-er do wells, but the answer may indeed lie closer to Will's old home, the circus. 

Kirkus concludes that this second installment in the Pentecost and Parker series provides "Rich circus atmosphere and a satisfying puzzle." Booklist offers praise: "Will's slangy first-person narrative is captivating, and fans of circus life, such as it was, will enjoy this tale, as will followers of the 1940s hard-boiled detective genre, considerably enlivened here by having two no-nonsense women do the sleuthing." Publishers Weekly chimes in by concluding, "Though the focus on period details and hard-boiled atmospherics isn’t quite as strong as in the previous book, Spotswood’s ability to subvert genre tropes with intriguing and distinctive characters (Parker is openly bisexual at a time when that was risky) make this whodunit a delightfully unusual read. Readers will look forward to Pentecost and Parker’s further adventures. " Indeed I do.

Fortune Favors the Dead

I really liked this book by Stephen Spotswood; it's a well-plotted mystery that lacks excessive violence, sex and gore and, to boot, has great female protagonists. Spottswood is an educator, journalist and playwright who is previously better known for his dramatic works and his writing about the struggles of post-Iran and post-Afghanistan veterans. Here is a summary from Publishers Weekly:

"Spotswood's stellar debut puts a modern spin on classic hard-boiled fiction with a duo of female private investigators. In 1945 Manhattan, Lillian Pentecost, "the most famous woman detective in the city and possibly the country," struggles with multiple sclerosis. Fortunately, Lillian can always rely on her sharp-witted assistant, Willowjean Parker. Lillian hired her three years earlier after Will, a runaway whose five years performing with a traveling circus gave her a unique skill set, used her knife training to save Lillian's life from a gunman. Their latest case involves a wealthy woman who was bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball in a locked room during a party. It becomes personal when Lillian realizes that an old adversary, a fake medium and spiritual adviser, is entangled in the murder. Complications arise after Will becomes romantically entangled with the victim's beautiful daughter."

Kirkus calls the work a "sprightly period debut" but is a little less laudatory in their overall review. They go on to conclude, "The most striking feature is the provocative gender-flipping of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin." I still think the book is good fun and plan to read the sequel, Murder Under Her Skin.

Murder of a Lady

This murder mystery was published in 1933 by Anthony Wynne (pseudonym for Robert McNair-Wilson: 1882-1963), a pre-eminent and prolific author of "impossible crime/ locked room" types of mysteries.This book has been republished in the British Library's "Crime Classics" series.  

Physician Dr. Eustace Hailey has also gained some renown as an amateur sleuth with a record of solving tricky crimes and he is called upon while visiting a friend in the Scottish Highlands. The Procurator Fiscal calls upon his host late one night to say that Mary Gregor, the sister of the laird of Duchlan, has been murdered, but was found in a room locked from the inside and inaccessible any other way. Hailey makes a preliminary inspection but is displaced from participation in the investigation when Inspector Dundas is sent from Glasgow. What he does continue to do, however, is look into the life of Mary Gregor, who everyone claims is a saint. As it turns out, her sainthood had a dark side and many people had reason to hate her. That still doesn't explain how she was murdered, but when the first and then a subsequent inspector  are also murdered, Hailey undertakes a risky plan to reveal both the means and the person who committed the crimes. 

Booklist says the murder(s) are "cunningly concocted" and Publishers Weekly concludes, "Those who like black-and-white films, in which ladies and gentlemen dress for dinner and everyone has frightfully good manners, are in for a treat." Kirkus likewise lauds, "This classic British mystery, first published in 1931, has enough complex plotting and red herrings to win a new generation of fans for the largely forgotten Wynne."

Dark Hollow

This is the second book in Irish author John Connolly's "Charlie 'Bird' Parker" series (see my post on the first book for more info on the main character: Every Dead Thing). As with Connolly's inaugural outing, this is first-rate writing, well-plotted, and grisly... making it, as Publishers Weekly says, "compulsively readable." Newly licensed as a PI, Bird is in the process of rehabbing his maternal grandfather's old farmhouse in Scarborough, Maine. The book opens with two seemingly un-related events: a kidnapping payoff in which almost everyone ends up dead, and an old woman who escapes from a run-down home for the aging and then shoots herself. When we switch to Parker, he is trying to get some overdue child support money from local ne'er do well, Billy Purdue, as a favor to Billy's ex-wife, Rita. Charlie ends up with several stitches from a knife wound and five crisp new $100 bills for his trouble. He should have been suspicious about the source of the money, but that doesn't come until later, when the mobster from whom Billy apparently stole the money, Tony Celli, sends his goons to rough up Parker. Meanwhile--again, this is reminiscent of Connolly's first book--after Rita is found murdered with her mouth sewn shut, a second storyline emerges about missing women over the years near Dark Hollow, Maine. Parker's grandfather, also a cop in his day, had pursued the case of the missing women and found their mutilated bodies hanging from trees in the deep northern Maine woods, but the killer was never found, although he believed the man was named Caleb Kyle. All these characters and trajectories converge as Bird pursues, with help from Angel and Luis, very dangerous people who would rather see him dead. What is notable to me about these books is how many threads Connolly manages to weave together without getting tangled. The woods of Maine in the winter become their own character and you'll want to be snug and warm when you read this to prevent getting chilled! There are elements of the supernatural in Parker's newfound ability to see the dead, especially his murdered wife and child.

Publishers Weekly also says Connolly achieves "pitch-perfect American dialogue and believable American characters from a desk in Dublin." Kirkus is not as gushing in its praise but still concludes the book is a "long stride forward."

Anxious People

If left to my own devices, I would not have finished this book by Fredrik Backman ( see post for A Man Called Ove) but it is the April choice for my reading group and so finish it I did. Backman opens the book by saying, “This is a book about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots.” The first half felt torturous as the police interview wildly uncooperative witnesses; the 2nd half was so full of heart that it sometimes brought me to tears or at least made me stop and think. One of my favorite lines, spoken by half of a Lesbian couple was "You don't fall in love with a gender; you fall in love with a person." There are some very Scandinavian (specifically Swedish) jokes in here--especially re the use of the term "Stockholmers," which, depending on the speaker and the intonation can mean homosexual people or people from Stockholm. Both meanings in this story have a somewhat pejorative implication. USA Today notes in their review, "no one here is lovable or even likable – not at first."

A would-be bank robber discovers that the targeted bank doesn't deal in cash and in a rush to escape, ends up at an apartment viewing, holding several prospective buyers as hostages ("worst hostages ever") as the robber bemoans. It's also a sort of locked room mystery because the robber disappears when the hostages are released, even though there was no unmonitored escape route. It is a wild assortment of people whose stories gradually unfold as we learn what brought them all to this place at this exact time--the day before New Year's Eve--and how their lives are interconnected in ways of which they are unaware at the beginning of the story. 

Here's a rundown of the people at the viewing, according to Kirkus: "...the ridiculous realtor; an older couple who renovates and sells apartments in an effort to stay busy; a bickering young couple expecting their first child; a well-off woman interested only in the view from the balcony of a significant bridge in her life; an elderly woman missing her husband as New Year’s Eve approaches; and, absurdly, an actor dressed as a rabbit hired to disrupt the showing and drive down the apartment price." Add in the inept robber and the therapist of one of the people at the viewing, who, it turns out, is also connected in more ways than one. And of course the two small-town policemen, who are father and son, have significant roles to play. Kirkus concludes the review by saying this is a story full of both comedy and heartbreak. The ending offers surprises and happy endings.

The Cartographers

This was a fun novel by Peng Shepherd that informed me about rare and antique maps, copyright traps, and cartographers. It also had an involved mystery plot and elements of the supernatural (at least I think so--but who really knows?). Or as Library Journal describes it, "A campus novel, a library novel, a work of magical realism: Shepherd ...deftly blends all three in an engrossing tale involving maps, murders, and rooms that are not there." Protagonist Nell Young has loved maps ever since she was a little girl, raised by her reknowned cartography scholar dad, Daniel Young. Nell's mother, also a cartographer, died in a house fire when Nell was young and, although her father has shared his passion for maps, he has been a somewhat distant parent, often more focused on his cartography research at the Maps Division of the New York Public Library. When Nell graduates with her degree in cartography, she and her boyfriend Felix, both land internships at NYPL's Maps Division, and Nell's promising work there puts her in line for a full-time position until she clashes with her father over a box of maps--labeled "Junk"--that she unearths in the basement archives. They are both stubborn and Daniel inexplicably gets both Nell and Felix fired as a condition of his continuing at NYPL.  Seven years later, Nell has been working at a boring job with the only company that would hire her, making copies of antique maps to adorn people's walls. She and Felix have not spoken since and he has gone to work for a mega-corporation that aggregates data from every aspect of human activity, producing the Haberson Map. Then Nell gets a call from the police demanding she come to the NYPL immediately, where she learns her father has died. Was it from natural causes or did someone help him on his way? While there, she discovers the old folding highway map over which they fought, hidden in a secret desk drawer her father once showed her. There the mystery begins.

Reviews are glowing with Publishers Weekly concluding, "Possessed of a questing intellect and a determined stubbornness, Nell proves smart enough to solve the various riddles she faces. Shepherd’s convincing blend of magic from old maps with the modern online world both delights and thrills." Kirkus offers, "Shepherd plots page-turning twists and revelations with ease and excels in her knowledge of historical maps and cartographical mysteries. The inclusion of map diagrams and detailed flashbacks carry the reader right alongside Nell as she attempts to disentangle an increasingly complex, slightly supernatural secret. In an author's note, Shepherd promises that “something magical happens” when a person follows a map that lies, and this book will make you believe it. A highly inventive novel that pushes the boundaries of reality." The Washington Post points out some of the provocative questions raised by the story: "One of the triumphs of “The Cartographers” is the exploration of what it means to make a map. Does the act of surveying, measuring, drafting and drawing the map affect the landscape it represents? Is it possible to map something without altering it in the process? How accurate can any map be, given that it only represents a snapshot of that landscape at one point in time, and to what extent does this matter?"

All Her Little Secrets

As author Wanda M. Morris reminds us in her debut novel, we all have secrets. Morris is a practicing corporate attorney, giving her strong bona fides to offer readers the inside track about a black woman who has overcome all the obstacles to become the second in command of the legal department at Houghton Transportation Company, headquartered in Atlanta. Ellice Littlejohn escaped small town Chillecothe and an abusive family situation when she got a scholarship to a Virginia boarding school and went on to graduate from Georgetown and then Harvard Law. She has always dreamed of being a lawyer and an executive, but she didn't want it to happen as a result of her boss--and secret married lover--Michael Sayles getting murdered; she is even less prepared when the head of the company insists she take his place immediately in the executive suite. Something is very off about the whole arrangement and she quickly learns that several other top executives are not happy about the appointment and that the police investigating the murder think she might have had something to do with it. Ellice has told so many lies over the course of her life, mostly to protect herself of those she loves--little brother Sam or surrogate mother Vera--that colleagues and friends alike are shocked when some of her past begins to surface. She discovers two very disturbing things about Houghton: the CEO is suffering from dementia and the company is actually being run by two ruthless men, the COO and the CFO; and there are some really shady things going on at Houghton that could have huge implications. But Ellice is caught between conflicting demands of protecting her brother, who has been roped into the mess by someone at Houghton and trying to do what is right. 

Kirkus highlights the conundrum when they open their review by saying, "A seat on the executive board should be a professional peak for a corporate lawyer. Instead, it’s a life-threatening trap." Publishers Weekly offers "Morris gives her flawed lead plenty to struggle with, including a secret, ex-con brother; workplace sexism and racism; and an awkward encounter with her lover’s widow. The fast pacing doesn’t overwhelm the deep dive into Ellice’s inner life." And NPR says the books "is a carefully constructed thriller wrapped in a narrative about racism, gentrification, and being the only Black person in an all-white environment."

Brewed Awakening

I am unjustifiably surprised to find that their is yet another culinary based mystery series of which I have been totally unaware. There are almost 20 books in Cleo Coyle's "Coffeehouse Mysteries" series, this being the newest installment. Cleo Coyle is the pen name for the husband-and-wife team of Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. There is seemingly an endless appetite (all puns intended) for books featuring food, beverages and recipes. The protagonist of this series is coffee roaster par excellence and owner of the coffee shop Village Blend,  Clare Cosi. Clare awakes on a park bench in Washington Square with no memory of how she came to be there and why everything looks so different. Turns out that Clare disappeared several days earlier when she went to a private tasting for wedding cakes hosted by an acquaintance and friend of her former mother-in-law. That woman, hotel heiress Annette Brewster, was kidnapped at gunpoint based on video footage from the hotel's garage, and Clare was a witness. The only problem is--and it's a big one--Clare can't remember a thing, and, in fact, has lost all memory of the last 15 years of her life. In her mind, she has just found out that her ex-husband, Matteo, has been cheating on her for years, their daughter is still in pigtails, and she has never met the man she is engaged to marry, Detective Mike Quinn. A celebrity psychologist, Dr. Lorca, who specializes in working with memory problems, offers to take her on as a patient for no charge, but it quickly becomes apparent that he has alternative motives. Maybe they are as benign as having another subject for another best-seller, or maybe something more sinister is behind his desire to move Clare to his private clinic, locked away from everyone who knows and loves her. To complicate matters, the police become suspicious of Clare's memory lapse and begin to consider that Clare was complicit in the kidnapping. It is a pretty compelling mystery and a provocative premise. Kirkus notes it's "An unsettling, often scary account of how memory loss affects a strong woman’s life." Publishers Weekly calls it a " delightfully twisty mystery" and asks " an intriguing question: if you lost all memory of your beloved, would you fall for him all over again?"

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

Okay, maybe only a book nerd would find this mystery engaging, and I am and I did; although, I never really came to like the protagonist, Assistant Director of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Liesl Weiss.  Author Eva Jurczyk has herself been a librarian and this is her debut novel; she has written for several publications, however, and the writing, plotting, and characterization is certainly competent. 

Liesl is suddenly called back from her sabbatical, happily writing a book on gardening, to fill in for her boss, Christopher Wolfe, who has been hospitalized with a stroke that's left him unconscious. Things immediately go awry for a number of reasons. First of all, Liesl doesn't really like the limelight and has been happy all these years doing everything to make Christopher look good to university administration and the collection's wealthy donors. Secondly, a few members of her staff are miffed about her being made acting director and aren't particularly supportive. Thirdly, she can't find the combination to the safe in Christopher's office, in which, supposedly, the department's newest acquisition, a Plantin Polyglot Bible is being kept safe until it can be evaluated for insurance purposes. And finally, when Christopher's wife shows up with the safe's combination, the Bible isn't there and the big reveal party for the main donors is just a day away. As time goes on, it's found that another of the collections prize possessions is missing, and eventually a third item is found to be a forgery. Liesl must eventually conclude that the nearly priceless items have been stolen, and that it's an inside job. When her protege, quiet and trustworthy Miriam Peters, goes missing shortly after the discoveries, suspicions immediately fall on her. Liesl is being pressured by the university president--and some of her colleagues-- to hide the fact that valuable items and a member of her staff is missing. Liesl wants to notify the police...what should she do? 

Kirkus calls the book "a valentine to librarians that doesn’t shy away from their dark sides." Publishers Weekly, somewhat more subdued in their response, concludes "Mystery readers are likely to be disappointed by the crimes and their solutions, and bibliophiles may feel that the rare books themselves are given short shrift, despite the author’s obvious research. This works best as an unflinching appraisal of the personal and professional effects of a woman’s aging into invisibility."

The Harbor

Danish author Katrine Engberg carries forward the characters from her previous books, The Butterfly House and The Tenant, and, although you don't have to have read them to appreciate this one, you will definitely have a different understanding of the two main characters, Copenhagen detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner. When the teenage son (Oscar) of a prominent family goes missing, Jeppe and Anette begin the hunt. The only clue is a note left on the dining room table that turns out to be a quote from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, but no ransom demand is every made. With each passing day, the chances of finding Oscar alive diminish and we are privy, in random chapters, to Oscar's own morbid ruminations in his dark and damp captivity. When Oscar's Danish teacher is murdered, Jeppe and Anette are convinced the two events are related. It turns out there is quite a convoluted history of family dishonestly and betrayal that underlies both Oscar's disappearance and the teacher's death, but I never suspected the main culprit before it was revealed in the book. 

Publishers Weekly says the supporting cast of characters is "delightfully fleshed out" and that the "plot takes some unexpected turns as the detectives unearth some shocking secrets involving fraud and pornography en route to the satisfying conclusion." The New York Times favorably says, " Her characters are complex and prone to making bad but understandable personal decisions. Her writing is crisp and efficient; the pace, while brisk, still leaves room for third-act surprises."

The Last Thing He Told Me

 This thriller by Laura Dave had such an intricate, twisty plot...the reveal was a total surprise. No explicit sex or violence--how rare is that?! Just a good psychological thriller. I lived on a houseboat in Seattle for a while so it was fun that this mystery was initially set on a houseboat in Sausalito. Married only a year, Hannah Hall, a much in-demand maker or artisanal furniture, is confused when a teenager comes to her door and hands her a note from Hannah's husband with just 2 words, "Protect her." Hannah has no doubts about who he meant--Owen's 16-year old daughter, Bailey. Owen has also left something for Bailey--a lot of cash. Bailey's mom died when she was young and she is not particularly happy about having a new step-mother. But when Owen fails to answer his phone or come home, and a U.S. Marshal and then the FBI show up at their door, Bailey and Hannah form an uneasy alliance to try and find Owen. They both will learn that the history of Owen and Hannah is a fabrication, but what it's hiding will be a painful surprise. How Hannah resolves the threat to Bailey is a bittersweet exploration of love.

The New York Journal of Books offers a detailed plot review and concludes with, "This fast-paced novel is a nail-biting suspenseful story, dealing with family relationships, love, devotion, personal sacrifices, and the chances parents must take sometimes to save their children from evil." Kirkus notes that "what really drives the story is the evolving nature of Hannah and Bailey’s relationship, which is by turns poignant and frustrating but always realistic" and concludes with "a solid page turner."