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."

The Christie Affair

Nina de Gramont offers a very different take on the 11 day disappearance of Agatha Christie in December of 1926. Ostensibly told from the perspective of Christie's husband's (Archie) mistress, Nancy Neele (known as Nan O'Dea in the book), we are led to believe that both women disappeared at roughly the same time, that they somehow ended up in the same small resort town (Harrogate, and that their paths crossed and they became friends -- sort of. In real life, her disappearance remains a total mystery as she never spoke of it after she was found by one of the largest manhunt's in England's history. According to the Washington Post,  the most likely explanation has been offered by Christie biographer Gillian Gill. "Christie registered at that Harrogate spa under the alias “Teresa Neele.” In so doing, Gill says, Christie cleverly found a way to publicize the last name of her husband’s mistress at a time when discretion dictated that her existence be kept private."

In this book, the mistress has become a calculating and strategic actor with one goal in mind--to displace Agatha Christie as Archie's wife. We learn why through interspersed flashbacks about Nan's early life. Archie did in fact divorce Agatha (who later remarried) and marry Nancy Neele. Whether or not the reason Nan wanted to be Mrs. Christie is true, I don't know, but certainly the situation that she describes as a young pregnant woman sent off to a Catholic home for unwed mothers has lots of historical validity.  In their review, Kirkus praises the characters created and gushingly concludes that the book is "Devilishly clever, elegantly composed and structured—simply splendid." Likewise, Publishers Weekly calls it a "superior thriller."

Sisters of Night and Fog

A fictionalized account of two women in the French resistance during WWII, one American and one British, written by Erika Robuck.  The author offers a note at the end telling how she came to write about Violette Bushel Szabo and Virginia d'Albert-Lake, and also details where her storytelling deviated from the actual people and events. There is also a biography which includes books written by Violette's daughter, Tania, and an edited version of Virginia's diary and memoir. It felt like a slow read at times, but was still compelling. So much of what the Nazis did during WWII are being seen again in the Russian attack on Ukraine. It's sickening at times, but one also has to admire the incredible courage of these women, both of whom ended up in Ravensbruck right after the Allies landed at Normandy. Only one of them made it out alive--barely. The Nazis were anxious to erase as much evidence as possible of what they had been doing at the concentration camps and many prisoners were summarily executed and cremated in the last days before the camp was liberated. Both men had married French men, Virginia several years prior and Violette during the war. At 19, Violette escaped France as the Nazis bombed and then invaded France, while Virginia never left. Virginia and her husband Philippe at first escaped to a small farm they owned in the country but knew they could not continue to hide; they began sheltering and escorting downed Allied pilots to various points along an escape route that would eventually get the pilots to Spain. Violette was anxious to do something useful for the war effort in spite of her father's, and later her husband's, objections and eventually was recruited to the SOE. I am reminded of other fictionalized accounts of these heroic women such as The Alice Network (Kate Quinn), The Paris Library (Janet Skeslien Charles),  and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale. A hard but worthwhile read.

Publishers Weekly says "Fans of WWII dramas are in for a treat." BookPage praises "Violette and Virginia are two women whose stories needed to be told, particularly now that most of the people who fought in WWII are gone. Robuck has done their memory great honor."

Peril

I hesitated to start reading this book written by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, both of whom are familiar from the media--print journalism and print/ TV news/ analysis, respectively. This is the 3rd book in Woodward's "Trump trilogy" (preceded by Fear and Rage) and the first of the 3 with a co-author. But once I got started, I was fascinated. They interviewed over 200 people who were close to either the Trump administration or the Biden campaign--members of Congress (e.g., Nancy Pelosi), members of the military (e.g., Mark Milley), lawyers (e.g., William Barr), campaign organizers, etc. The last few months of the Trump administration were more rife with flagrant violations of norms and laws than even I imagined. The book opens with the revelation from Milley that he was in contact via back channels during the final days of the Trump administration to reassure them that the United States was not planning to attack China. This is how unbalanced and unpredictable many--in the U.S. and the world at large--had come to see Trump. It is overall a fascinating, somewhat terrifying, and very concerning read, especially as they conclude that the peril for American democracy is far from over.

NPR offers a lengthy review. In their review, The Guardian claims at one point that "In Peril, he [Trump] is indistinguishable from the Trump Baby, the diapered balloon that bobbed above Westminster during his state visit. As he suborns Pence to discount electoral results and nullify Biden’s win, his wheedling suggests dialogue overheard in a primary school playground."The LA Times calls the book "a damning--and tedious--portrait of American democracy on the brink." I still thought the book a worthwhile read.

The Tenant

This 2nd mystery in a series by Danish author Katrine Engberg fits the genre of Scandinavian noir and certainly kept my interest throughout. A young woman, 21 year old Julie Stender, is found murdered and mutilated in the ground floor flat of a house owned by a retired academic Esther de Laurenti. The elderly man who found her, the tenant on the floor above, has a heart attack after discovering her body. The owner, who lives on the top floor is trying to write a murder mystery and it appears that the murderer has somehow managed to read her manuscript and duplicated many elements of the characters and plots. 

Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Wernerare assigned to the case and their relationship is a prominent element of the storyline. They are like "chalk and cheese" as the Brits would say, constantly rubbing each other the wrong way. Jeppe is divorced and had somewhat of a breakdown following his wife's leaving him; he still can't see a light at the end of the tunnel but is, nevertheless, back at work. Anette, on the other hand, is happily married and always jolly. Jeppe has become a scarecrow of a man, whereas Anette is always eating things that are bad for her.

Kirkus gives it a mixed but generally positive review, concluding "Overly familiar plot elements keep this from being a standout, and some twists require a significant suspension of disbelief, but Engberg’s fast-paced narrative is bolstered by an interesting and quirky cast as well as an intriguing setting. A bit over-the-top but still a lot of fun." Publishers Weekly likewise offers "The undertow from the overly ambitious plot drowns any sense of plausibility, but Engberg’s sparkling cast and palpable evocation of a society U.S. readers will find similar yet foreign keep the pages turning pleasurably."