My May 2024 Reading

There is no doubt my two favorite books of the month were Going Zero, a thriller involving a chase I am still thinking about, and The Diamond Eye, about a Russian sniper during WWII. I suspect they will be on my "Best of 2024" list and I recommend both of them highly.  Overall, there were some very strong and some disappointing books with two good rereads, Lucy Parker's Act Like It and The Emerald City of Oz for Ozathon24.

Suspense/Mystery

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown (2023). A mass shooting at a county fair brings survivors together but the police are making no progress on finding the shooter, who may make another attempt. Other than Mirror Image, an impersonation story I read long ago when my then-roommate brought it home in manuscript form, I am not much of a Brown fan but I needed something to read on a slow night at the library and it had just been returned.

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves (2017)(audio). In Vera Stanhope’s eighth outing, she is pulled into a cold case involving close friends of her father’s and a long-closed nightclub that seems to be the connection between disappearances in the past and a murder in the present. This was excellent although there were several occasions when Vera should have asked for backup. I do get annoyed when law enforcement professionals act foolishly – at least with amateur detectives there is an excuse for acting impulsively.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French (2024).
Charlotte disappeared on her way to her husband’s 50th birthday party in this standalone (so far) by the husband-wife team behind the Frieda Klein series. Her close friend died the next day and some assumed he had killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later there is a possibly related murder and a detective from London is summoned to investigate, and I found this detective the best part of the book.

Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz (2020). I am a big fan of Orphan X and am sympathetic to his current desire to break with his violent past and live a normal life. However, a “last assignment” as the Nowhere Man turns more dangerous than he expected in book 5 and his inability to say no to those in need almost destroys him. There seem to be ten books in the series so I guess Evan is unable to escape his situation in the near future, poor guy.

Breaking Creed by Alex Cava (2014). I found this series launch about an ex-marine turned K9 rescue dog trainer who is targeted by a South American drug cartel somewhat disappointing. I liked the dogs but found the plot hard to follow and there were too many snakes and scorpions for my taste. It’s a spinoff from another series but felt like the reader was too thrown into the middle. My review.

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten (2023)(audio). Imagine you have two hours to get so completely off the grid that the CIA and its software partner cannot find you using advanced surveillance techniques. If you can stay hidden for 30 days, you will win $3 million. But Kaitlyn Day, a librarian from Boston, is determined to beat these experts at their game and has a reason more important than just money. My review.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (2024). I liked the concept but felt the characters were unconvincing and the execution subpar in this mystery about a woman who spends her whole life frightened by a prediction of her own murder. When she is, in fact, murdered, it is up to the niece who never knew her to investigate and find the truth. My review.

Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes (2012). Alice Quentin is a psychologist who consults for the police and is dragged into a case involving serial killers. They are safely in jail but there is a suspected copycat killer she is asked to assess. When she concludes that individual is not dangerous, her brother becomes a suspect. My review.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (2024). After the terrible night when her friend Savannah was killed, Lucy was found covered with Savannah’s blood and was suspected of being the killer, although nothing was proven and Lucy claims amnesia. Now a podcaster is trying to investigate the crime and Lucy is drawn back to town. My review.

Historical Fiction

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (2022) (audio). Based on a true story about a Russian woman sniper during WWII, the story follows modest Mila Pavlichenko from the battlefields to the United States where she is feted by Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House. My review.

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (2024). An interesting if at times wooden story about a New York librarian recruited to provide children’s libraries to homeless French children during WWI.  My review.

Fiction

Get Lucky by Katherine Center (2010). While I was waiting for her new book to come from the library, I realized there was an older, unread book. If I had not known, I would have said this was written by Elinor Lipman. It’s about sisters – one of whom is desperate to get pregnant and have a child and the other has lost her job and offers to be a surrogate.

Romance

Act Like It by Lucy Parker (2015). After I put this in my Spell the Month in Books for May, I had to reread it. This is Parker’s first - and possibly best book (so far) – about an arrogant actor and the outgoing actress who softens him.  London setting.

Juvenile/YA

The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum. In this sixth Oz book, there are two distinct plotlines: one is the Nome King, still bitter from his defeat by Ozma and determined to conquer Oz and imprison its fair ruler, and two, Dorothy’s aunt and uncle are going to lose the farm, so she asks Ozma if all three can come live in Oz permanently. My review.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang (2024). Two extremely ambitious high school seniors have competed against each other for years. Sadie has hidden her frustration with annoying classmates and teachers by writing emails she never sends but when someone releases all her drafts, everyone is furious with her. To her surprise, Julius is one of her few supporters. I love these stories of high school angst and this YA novel was very well done.

The Striped Ships by Eloise McGraw (1991). A young girl has her life torn apart by William the Conqueror’s invasion but is determined to take control of her destiny and uses her embroidery skills to make a place for herself. Improbable but appealing! My review.

Off the Blog: It is supposed to hit 100 degrees this week! Cool down by watching the Puffin Cam, livestream by the Maine Audubon Society which provides an intimate look into a real-life puffin burrow on Seal Island.  I think the Swallows and Amazons would have loved these cameras in the winter but would have scorned being in front of a computer in good weather.