Tuesday, February 27, 2018

What I've Been Reading: February 2018

There are too many things I want to share in this post to spend much time on preamble. Read on!

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. I originally read back in January of 2015 (you can see my original review here), but definitely needed a refresher before discussing it at my February book club meeting. It is a twisty thriller with a back-and-forth timeline which made the first read a little more challenging. If anything, I liked it better the second time around. The story of a woman who admits from the beginning that she's anything but a reliable narrator, and what she really saw, if anything, during a drunken blackout the night a former neighbor disappeared is still as compelling, but easier to follow with the foundation I had. And it made for excellent discussion, something that thrillers are not necessarily known for.

The Dry, by Jane Harper. Twenty years ago, tragedy hit a small town when a young woman disappeared. Aaron and his best friend Luke were one another's alibis, but Aaron never knew who was lying to protect whom. Now, Luke and his family are dead, prompting Aaron's first return to his hometown in decades. More than one person knows that the boys lied about where they were so many years ago. Aaron, now a big-city investigator, is reluctantly drawn into the investigation, but finds that some things, including the past, just won't stay buried. Dark and deeply suspenseful. I'm looking forward to the second in the series, Force of Nature, which was released earlier this month.

The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin. I mentioned recently that this was at the top of my to-read list, and I wasn't kidding! I had a few days off this month and, in addition to watching a ton of Olympics coverage, I read this. In a day. Once I was into it I couldn't bear to put it down for any reason. In the summer of 1969, a fortune-teller of sorts has come to New York. She does not advertise, but word of her presence is passed from person to person until one of the Gold children hears of it and decides that the four Gold siblings will go together to see the woman and find out the ultimate future: the date of his or her death. What each of the four go on to do with their information varies widely. Does fate make for belief or does belief pave the way for fate? What responsibility comes with knowing how long, or short, your life will be? Fascinating and haunting, this is a story that will stick with me for years to come.

Year One, by Nora Roberts. This opener to Roberts's new metaphysical contemporary series starts off with a very plausible scenario: What would the world look like in the wake of a super-flu outbreak big enough to wipe out a third of the world's human population? What would happen to society? And then, for flare, adds a dash of metaphysicality--what if, in the wake of this Doom, magick returns to humans, for good or ill? How does one use a gift received in the face of tragedy? This is just what the different survivors in Year One have to figure out. It's a quirky bit of fantasy amid modern chaos, but very entertaining.

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. Having read this last while in college, I did not appreciate at the time just how slyly funny Plath's lone novel was. Dark, yes, but also fascinating and witty. Esther Greenwood is brilliant, charming, talented and beautiful. She is also, slowly, starting to mentally break down, not for the first time, but perhaps for the last. When The Bell Jar came up in conversation not long ago, I realized I needed to reread it, and two decades has altered my perspective considerably, giving me a new appreciation for this modern American classic.

The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah. Hannah's The Nightingale was a departure from her former stories of domestic fiction. The Great Alone is different yet again. Leni doesn't really remember her dad before he went to Vietnam. What she does know is that he hasn't been the "same" since coming home after spending years in a POW camp. At thirteen, permanence would be welcome, but she and her parents move a lot, and she rarely gets to finish a school year in the same place she starts one. When her father is left a cabin and a piece of land in Alaska by an old army buddy who has died, this is, again, going to be a new beginning for the family, a fresh start. The winters are long and dark, though, and are not good for a man with PTSD. Leni and her parents are pushed to the breaking point in this unforgiving land, but who will break first? Among the most compelling reads I've experienced recently, I also read this in a single day--I just couldn't bear to look away before finding out what happened to Leni and her family. Excellent.


Thursday, February 22, 2018

Meg's Picks: March 2018, part 2

I have a tendency to save the very best for last, and I think that's what happened this month. All three of these are on my to-read list (my list is very long, you may have noticed...). A twisted psychological suspense novel, a historical novel set in Tuscany and full of secrets, and finally a second historical novel, this time set amid the early days of World War II in France. Please do read on!

Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney. This debut from BBC News veteran Feeney is a serpentine tale of madness, betrayal and murder. Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital, but she cannot move or speak. What she can do, however, is hear everything around her, even if no one realizes it. She doesn't remember what happened to put her in her coma, but she thinks her husband has something to do with it. The story alternates between her paralyzed present, the events a week before her accident, and her childhood diaries. The question that drives the story is: if you really believe something is true, is it still a lie? If you're looking for a new psychological suspense novel, this is one to try.

The Italian Party, by Christina Lynch. Part spy novel, part comedy of manners, part love letter to Italy, this debut novel set in sultry 1950s Siena finds an American couple in love with their new home, each of them buried in their own secrets. For CIA operative Michael, he's working a cover story that he's in Italy to sell Fords. In reality, his mission is to make sure the Communist mayor is defeated. It is the Cold War, after all. His wife, Scottie, doesn't have a clue about Michael's real job, she's just trying to be the best housewife she can be. Even if she is carrying a baby that isn't her husband's. When Scottie's teenage Italian tutor goes missing, chaos, as they say, ensues. A detailed, tongue-in-cheek look at what is often imagined to be an era of innocence.

The Room on Rue Amelie, by Kristin Harmel. When three very different people come together in the face of war, they must summon courage, not just to defy their enemies, but to trust each other in order to survive. Ruby came to France in 1939 as a newlywed with French husband Marcel. As the Nazi's invade, however, Ruby's marriage begins to disintegrate. Charlotte is only eleven when the Nazi's take Paris and cannot imagine things getting worse after the Jewish restrictions are enforced. Then the mass deportations begin. Thomas joins the British Royal Air Force to defend his country, but when he loses his mother during the Blitz, he wonders if he's making any difference at all. Fans of books like Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls will want to make sure to check out Harmel's latest.


Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Meg's Picks: March 2018, part 1

A trio of thrillers of note are arriving next month. What's so note-worthy? Read on to find out!

The Other Mother, by Carol Goodman. As I've just finished Goodman's last book (and absolutely loved it, by the way), I can't help but be excited about her next! Daphne and infant daughter Chloe are starting over the hard way. Daphne's on the run from an emotionally abusive husband, and she's hiding out in the Catskills, working under an assumed name. She's trying to do everything right, but struggling...until she meets Laurel, and they become fast friends. Laurel also has a daughter named Chloe, and the women's fast friendship leads to telling secrets that maybe should have been left hidden. What price would Daphne be willing to pay for her friendship with Laurel? Goodman is a magnificent storyteller, and this is at the very top of my to-read list this spring.

Let Me Lie, by Clare Mackintosh. From the best-selling author of I Let You Go and I See You. Anna has never been able to reconcile the suicides, seven months apart, of her parents. She then receives a card that simply reads "Suicide? Think again." This card (clue? cruel joke?) catches the interest of retired detective turned civilian desk clerk in the local police station. When the two begin an unofficial investigation, Anna begins to receive death threats, and she must decide whether the truth or her remaining family's safety is more important. Mackintosh is creating quite a fanbase with her gripping, satisfying thrillers.

Tangerine, by Christine Mangan. If there's a book to film adaptation that I think is going to be a splash in the near future, it's this debut from Mangan. (George Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures have already bought the film rights, and Scarlett Johansson is set to star.) Alice hasn't spoken to her former Bennington roommate Lucy since a terrible accident nearly a year ago, so she's almost relieved when Lucy turns up in sun-scorched 1950's Tangier, eager to make up and move on. But soon Alice is starting to feel stifled and controlled by Lucy...again. And then Alice's husband disappears... Advance praise makes favorable comparisons to Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, Alfred Hitchcock, Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt. Place your holds now--don't say I didn't warn you!

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Reading Ahead: March 2018, part 4

Long-time fan favorites have new offerings this spring. Which will you choose?

Alternate Side, by Anna Quindlen. Quindlen (Object Lessons, Blessings, etc.) will never be able to write fast enough to satisfy her fans. In her latest, Nora Nolan seems to lead a charmed life with her husband, Charlie. Living in New York was her dream, and their coveted dead-end block is a tight-knit community. When Nora returns from a run one morning, she finds her neighbors shaken by a terrible incident. What was once enviable has turned sour, emblematic of the issues Nora has chosen to ignore: in her neighborhood, her city, her job, her marriage. Quindlen's eye is keen, and her pen even keener.

As You Wish, by Jude Deveraux. Third in Deveraux's Summerhouse series (following The Summerhouse, 2001, and Return to Summerhouse, 2008), As You Wish finds three very different women together in Summer Hill, Virginia, where they learn that they're more alike than they ever would have dreamed. Sixty-year-old Olivia is a newlywed, finally married to the man she's always loved, after years spent in a loveless marriage. Kathy's in her mid-forties, married to a handsome, successful man...who happens to be in love with someone else. Elise, twenty-something, is unhappily married to a man her parents chose for her, a man ready to leave Elise behind now that his mistress is pregnant. Each of them has wound up at the Summerhouse for different reasons, but they slowly begin to share, only to have a chance at the magic of Summerhouse--the opportunity to go back and right the wrongs from their past. If you really want to escape, this is the way to do it.

Accidental Heroes, by Danielle Steel. A TSA agent finds an anonymous postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge with an ambiguous, potentially ominous, message. By the time a supervisor will take her concern seriously, the flights in the terminal have left, and the investigators on the ground must identify not only which plane is the potential target, but also who might have written the message. Is it to do with a famous film star? A distraught father traveling with his child, abducted from his mother? Or an off-duty pilot who has just lost his forty-year career? The possibilities seem endless even as the clock counts down. Steel appears to be reinventing herself after all these years--fans are eating it up.
Also available in Large Print.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Reading Ahead: March 2018, part 3

Mysteries and suspense are the order of the month of March. There are some much-anticipated entries in popular series coming, place your holds now!

The Woman Left Behind, by Linda Howard. Jina Modell has a desk job as a communication expert for a secret government agency, so she's more than a little surprised when she's transferred run comms for a black ops group. She's never been one to walk away from a challenge, though, and proves her mettle as part of commander Levi Butcher's tactical unit. When their base is attacked, Jina is presumed dead, but without confirmation, Levi isn't going to leave a member of his team behind. Suspense with a romantic twist is Howard's signature.

Duel to the Death, by J.A. Jance. Jance fans will be excited in anticipation of a new Ali Reynolds novel, as the last, Deadly Stakes, came out in 2013. Stuart Ramsey thinks the case is finally closed when he kills the man responsible for his best friend's death. Except that Frigg, a rogue AI program created by the killer, has made Stu the heir to a multi-million dollar Bitcoin fortune in order to avoid deactivation. Eager to put Frigg down once and for all, Stu contacts Ali Reynolds and the rest of his cyber security colleagues at High Noon Enterprises for help. But they're not the only one who know of Frigg's existence, and among their adversaries is the head of a dangerous drug cartel, hoping to use Frigg for her own devices. No matter the outcome, each will find that everything has its price...

The Punishment She Deserves, by Elizabeth George. The first new Inspector Lynley novel in nearly three years will have fans jumping for joy! The small and cozy town of Ludlow is turned upside down when one of its most respected citizens, local deacon Ian Druitt, is accused of a serious crime. And then, while in police custody, Ian is found dead. Did he kill himself? Or was he murdered? Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is sent to investigate, and while all signs indicate that Ian committed suicide, she can't help but feel part of the puzzle is missing. With the help of Detective Inspector Lynley, she looks more closely at the citizens in the quiet little town, only to discover that almost each of them has something to hide...

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Reading Ahead: March 2018, part 2

The weather outside is frightful, but a book is always delightful. Escape into historical suspense or a globe-trotting thriller!

The Bishop's Pawn, by Steve Berry. Berry's Cotton Malone series has steadily been growing in popularity. Now, readers get to see a bit more about Malone's past; The Bishop's Pawn is the story of his first case. Eighteen years ago, Malone was a young Navy lawyer, trying hard not to live up to his growing reputation as a maverick. When a high-level Justice Department lawyer pulls him in on an investigation, he jumps at the chance. But he soon discovers that two opposing forces, the Justice Department and the FBI, are at war over a cache of secret files concerning the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Malone's decision to see it through to the end changes not only his own life, but the course of history. Berry mines history, and every new novel is gold.

The Disappeared, by C.J. Box. Wyoming's new governor isn't sure what to make of game warden Joe Pickett, but he has a job for Pickett that's extremely delicate. A prominent British executive never came home from the high-end ranch she was visiting, and now the British Embassy is pressing hard for answers. Pickett knows that sometimes "ranch romances" happen and guests stay on past their anticipated check-outs. But there's no sign of the woman, which he finds worrisome. Add a second case tangling with the feds, and Pickett has his hands full.


The Rising Sea, by Clive Cussler & Graham Brown. The latest in Cussler's long-running NUMA Files series (following 2017's Nighthawk) finds the world in peril from an alarmingly rapid rise in sea levels--much higher than would even be accounted for by glacier melt. The NUMA scientific team search the globe for an answer, which they find at the bottom of the East China Sea. And the truth is so much worse than what they had feared...

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Reading Ahead: March 2018, part 1

Suspense and thrillers abound next month! If you're looking for a new favorite, or anxiously awaiting a new novel from a long-time favorite, there are bunches to choose from. Read on!

The Escape Artist, by Brad Meltzer. Billed as a great intro to Meltzer's thrillers for new readers, The Escape Artist features one of the most compelling protagonists in years: Nola Brown. She's a mystery, she's trouble...and she's supposed to be dead. Nola's body was identified aboard a plane that fell out of the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. A friend's father, however, has discovered that Nola is really alive, and starts digging into her past, searching for a way to help the woman who had once saved his daughter's life. Nola, the U.S Army's artist-in-residence and a trained soldier, saw something on her last mission that she wasn't supposed to see. As a result, Nola is embroiled in a conspiracy that goes back more than a century, and now has an enemy who will stop at nothing to ensure her silence. Also available in Large Print.

The Third Victim, by Phillip Margolin. A woman stumbles onto a dark road in rural Oregon--tortured, battered, bound. She is the lucky one--two other women were killed by the man who kidnapped and abused her. The details she gives lead to the arrest of a prominent local attorney, Alex Mason. While he claims he's innocent, his wife cooperates with authorities, and the evidence she gives is damning. Regina Barrister, legendary criminal defense lawyer, takes on the seemingly impossible task of defending Alex Mason. But Barrister has secrets of her own, and if it comes out, it could jeopardize everything she's worked for. Margolin, himself once a criminal defense attorney and long-time resident of Portland, Oregon, draws on his extensive background for what is being billed as a legal thriller masterpiece.

The Flight Attendant, by Chris Bohjalian. When Cassandra Bowden awakens with a hangover and no memory of the previous night's events in a Dubai hotel, it's just another in a long series of such events. What makes this particular morning different, however, is the dead man next to her in the bed. A single woman alone and far from home, Cassandra is scared to call the police. And so she begins to lie. She lies to the other flight attendants and the pilots on her shuttle to the airport. She lies on the flight to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents who meet her in New York. It's too late to start telling the truth now, even if she could remember what happened in Dubai. Bohjalian (The Sleepwalker, etc.) is an incomparable storyteller. Also available in Large Print.

Fade to Black, by David Rosenfelt. Rosenfelt delights readers with a sequel to Blackout (2016), featuring New Jersey state police officer Doug Brock. After being shot in the line of duty, Brock has been busy getting his life back in order. He's reunited with his fiance. He's started to get some of his memories back, and hopes to continue to recover with the help of an amnesia support group. It isn't until a fellow group member approaches Brock after a meeting that he realizes trouble has found him again. Sean has discovered what can only be described as a scrapbook of a murder victim in his attic, but has no recollection of the girl or the events surrounding her murder. Brock asks his captain to reopen what is considered a cold case, only to find himself drawn in on a personal level, as well as professionally.

Red Alert: An NYPD Red mystery, by James Patterson and Marshall Karp. And because no month seems complete without a new release from powerhouse James Patterson... The elite among NYC's richest citizens have gathered at Pierre's Cotillion Room to raise money for those less fortunate. The mayor is attending, flanked by two members of the NYPD Red task force as security. Then a fatal blast rocks the room. The echoes of 9/11 are unmistakable. But was this an act of terrorism...or homicide? When this turns out to be just the first in a string of related events around the city, the NYPD Red are on the case.
Also available in Large Print.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

What I've been reading: January 2018

Sometimes, as readers, we find ourselves with a lack of books we are enthusiastic about. Sometimes it's because what we just finished reading was so good that it's as if we're still living in that world, unable to launch fully into something new. Sometimes, however, there are so many good books to read, it feels like an embarrassment of riches. And that's the category I've been in lately!

Heading Out to Wonderful, by Robert Goolrick. This was my book club's pick for our January meeting, and it produced some excellent discussion! It's 1948 when Charlie Beale arrives in Brownsburg, Virginia, looking for someplace to put down roots. His suitcase of money buys him land, his skill as a butcher finds him a job, and his charisma earns him a place in the community. But it's the one thing that he cannot buy or earn or find that eludes him, and it's what he wants most: the love of the most fascinating woman he's ever set eyes on. The problem, of course, is that she is married to another man, a marriage of arrangement that would cripple her family should she leave him. Longing turns the good Charlie has going for him sour, bit by bit--their star-crossed match is doomed from the beginning. Bittersweet and compelling.

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell. Cath and her twin sister Wren grew up with a single dad and immersed themselves in the fandom of the Simon Snow books and movies. They had Simon and they had their dad and they always have each other. Until they start to grow up, and apart. It has never been more stark for Cath how different they've become until they go to college, and suddenly, Wren is elsewhere, choosing to room with a stranger, leaving Cath to do the same. Wren is a natural extrovert, making friends and attending parties. Cath, however, is painfully shy, writing Simon Snow fanfiction to ease her anxiety, even as she worries about how their dad is getting along by himself. Can Cath do this? Can she navigate the world without Wren there to hold her hand? Can she forge her own life, write her own stories? For everyone who has ever felt like the odd person out. It's billed as young adult fiction, but I found it deeply touching and relatable. I adore Rowell's work.

The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. If you find yourself in need of a twisty psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down, this is my recommendation right now. Anna Fox lives alone in New York City, unable to leave her home. She drinks wine, she watches classic movies, she spies on the neighbors across the way, and this has been her life for the last ten months. Only slowly do we learn how she has found herself in this situation. And only slowly do we learn the darker truths, both about Anna herself and about the neighbors across the way, and what Anna sees may force her to get out...if only to save herself. Absolutely gripping, I read it in two days.

The Late Show, by Michael Connelly. Renee Ballard works the overnight shift in Hollywood, known as the late show. She and her partner catch many cases, but rarely have the opportunity to follow through, instead forced to turn their cases over to the morning shift. The shift is frustrating, and it's considered punishment after Ballard filed a complaint against her previous supervisor. And yet, one night Ballard catches two cases and she cannot bear to leave either of them. One is a prostitute, battered and left for dead, the crime showing signs of premeditation. Ballard is sure the unsub will strike again, and she can't let that happen. The other case is a nightclub shooting where Ballard watches a victim breathe her last. Ballard chooses to continue to work both cases by day, even as she works the late show shifts and battles her own demons. This is a new series for Connelly, and I've got to say I found Renee Ballard a great breath of fresh air in the genre.

Dark in Death, by J.D. Robb. When a young woman is murdered during the screening of a classic Hitchcock film, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, are called to the scene. By the next morning, they're only beginning their investigation when a lead comes in--an author has recognized the crime...from one of her own novels. In fact, she has details about the crime that the police haven't released to the public yet. It's the second in a series, and the killer has plenty of material to work with. So now it's up to Dallas to outwit, out-think and out-read the killer, to anticipate the next crime and save the potential next victim. A solid entry into Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) long-running series.

The Widow's House, by Carol Goodman. This incredible new novel (I listened to the audiobook, and I've bought a replacement hardcover for the library's collection) by the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, etc. is a gripping psychological thriller with gothic overtones (think Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca). Clare and Jess Martin met in college, married, moved to Brooklyn. Jess's first novel was a huge success. They were on top of the world. That was a decade ago. Jess's second novel has been a struggle, and he's still not done. They decide to go back to their old college town. Perhaps it will inspire Jess to write. Perhaps Clare will write again. But when Clare's past comes back to haunt her, she finds herself losing her grip on reality. Or is she? A completely fascinating story, I loved it!