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."