Interference

Although I was unfamiliar with author Brad Parks, he has written a dozen books and won the prestigious Nero and Shamus awards. This was a book I had a hard time putting down. In spite of being baffled by the quantum mechanics that are the plotline thread here, I was willingly led down a couple of red herring paths, only to be surprised at the ending. From the book jacket: "When her husband, a quantum physicist, goes missing in the midst of a strange, violent seizure, Brigid Bronik discovers that his research had gained unwanted attention and wonders if the very same physics that endangered him could actually be used to save his life."

Reviews are positive including from Library Journal, which calls this a "tightly bound thriller" and provides this summary, "...Matthew Bronik, a renowned Dartmouth physicist with a specialty in quantum mechanics, has been suffering from mysterious seizures. His groundbreaking research has drawn the attention of many, including foreign governments and a young millionaire entrepreneur who sees the work as the next step in humanity itself. But when Matthew disappears on the way to the hospital after another seizure, Brigid, his librarian wife, battles sinister forces to track him down. She enlists the help of Matthew's Dartmouth assistant, Sheera, herself entangled with the research, and a gruff local police detective to help provide answers and to bring him home...Parks, better known for character-driven mysteries, ventures into Michael Crichton and Blake Crouch territory with a procedural thriller with an sf edge and a ton of heart that leads to an explosive (and emotional) finale." Publishers Weekly similarly lauds Parks' "intelligent, fast-paced thriller" and concludes "Readers will fully engage with the well-drawn characters as Parks convincingly reveals the science that buttresses the suspenseful plot." Kirkus promises "Parks’ suspenseful novel will beguile, entrance, and fool the sharpest readers." Finally, the New York Journal of Books offers this thought, "Most of that stuff about quantum physics and particles is really about the emotional connections between human beings. It all leads to a finale that’s both thrilling and heartfelt, and a good reason to trust the science of Parks’ fine storytelling." I encourage you to read their entire review for a really good summary.

Title Wave

A recent installment (2016) of the "Booktown Mystery" series by Lorna Barrett, (who also writes at L.L. Bartlett  and Lorraine Bartlett), this book breaks with earlier titles, presumably, because it is set entirely on a cruise ship instead of in the small New Hampshire town of Stoneham. Protagonist Tricia Miles owns a mystery bookstore in the town, Haven't Got a Clue, and owns a cat named Miss Marple. I think I would rather have read one of the earlier books set in the village. She accurately depicts what it's like to go on a large cruise ship, in the this case the Celtic Lady. Her sister, Angelica owns a cookbook shop and is also an author. Angelica is also currently the president of the town's Chamber of Commerce and has been key in organizing a group from Stoneham to join the ship's Authors' Tour. Authors from several genres will give talks as will editors and publishers during the cruise from New York City to Bermuda and back. It's winter in New Hampshire and this is the first time the sisters have taken a vacation together, and the first time either of them has taken time off in several years. But instead of being relaxing, Tricia discovers the body of thriller author E.M. Barstow, a woman so unpleasant that nobody is really sorry she's gone. Although Tricia finds her hanging in her shower, several aspects of the situation make it clear, at least to amateur sleuth Tricia, that this was murder, not a suicide--although the cruise line's security person is bound and determined to keep anyone from thinking there's a murderer on board. What is enjoyable is that the two main female characters are both middle aged, and have been through rough periods as siblings, as daughters, as grown women. They are both successful business women, so good role models. I might check out some of her earlier books, but I wasn't overly impressed with her writing style--she used the word "grating" to describe the victim's speaking style a few too many times.
Review from Publishers Weekly.

Lethal Treasure

This is the 8th entry in the "Josie Prescott Antique Mysteries" by author Jane Cleland. The protagonist buys and sells antiques and does appraisals for other businesses or individuals who need her research skills, knowledge and network of experts. She lives and work in Rocky Point, New Hampshire, a small coastal town, and in this installment, has a gorgeous, thoughtful and loving partner, Ty.  They are good friends with a couple who run a new interior design business in town, Henri and Leigh Ann Dubois. When Henri is found murdered inside a storage unit for which he had the winning auction bid, Josie gets involved in trying to help find the killer. Nothing is found in the unit that seems worth much, but Henri had previously brought Josie some very old original movie posters for appraisal and Josie and her crew begin to realize that they may be worth a great deal. There are interesting lines of investigation for the appraisal process that also may move Josie closer to finding Henri's killer, but when the murder weapon turns up in Josie's car, and supposed love letters between Henri and Josie are discovered in an e-mail account, Josie realizes someone is clever and desperate enough to frame her. Now solving the mystery has become very personal. I loved reading about the appraisal process, have a fondness for antiques, and thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the characters. I will definitely find more of these to read.