Six Degrees of Separation― from The Safekeep to The Woman in the Library

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where it ends up. This month’s starting point is The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, which is described as a twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside.

First Degree

I haven’t read The Safekeep but I recently visited Holland and purchased a mystery set there. A Cold Death in Amsterdam by Anja de Jager (2015) introduces detective, Lotte Meerman, who is practically suicidal when the story begins ― having had an affair with a suspect, she is terrified this will be revealed. It is really hard to imagine being attracted to a possible murderer and difficult to be sympathetic as she tries to carry on with her work, but I did enjoy the wintry setting.

Second Degree

My next link is another series launch, The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill (2004). I found this series very intriguing, particularly due to the familial relationships of Detective Simon Serrallier, and I have read eight since June 2024. I had to take a break and save the last few as it appears she has stopped writing them. My review.

Third Degree

Susan Hill is best known for a ghost story called A Woman in Black. I found a copy of The Ghosts by Antonia Barber (UK title: The Amazing Mr. Blunden) (1969) at the Brighton Public Library when I about ten and checked it out repeatedly over the years. It’s about a family that become caretakers of a mysterious old house and includes a dramatic fire.

Fourth Degree

The infamous Chicago fire of 1871 is the backdrop of Young and Fair (1963), which is Rosamond du Jardin’s only historical novel. There are several appealing elements: the heroine is an orphan, making her own way in the world, and she secures a job at a prominent department store. I need to order my own copy from Image Cascade!

Fifth Degree

Fire is also my link to The Library Book by Susan Orlean (2018). My book group read this in June 2019 and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that about six weeks later I had enrolled in a graduate library degree program! While the book is about a massive fire at the Los Angeles Public Library, Orlean's focus is how this vast library system works and I found it quite fascinating.

Sixth Degree

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (2022) is a mystery within a mystery about four strangers, who happened to sit at the same table at MY library as a murder takes place. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer. My review.

Next month (September 6, 2025), Kate will start with Ghost Cities by Siang Lu.  Did you have to remind me there is only one more month of summer?