Mystery/Suspense
The God of the Wood by Liz Moore (2024). When teenage camper Barbara Van Laar disappears from her cabin, every local called in to help search remembers how her older brother vanished 14 years earlier. Are the two incidents related? I thought Moore’s first book, Long Bright River, was well done, although very dark and full of unlikable characters. This one is the same but, in my opinion, spoiled by a very unconvincing conclusion. I also got tired of the flashbacks.
One of the nicer characters has heart twinges but postpones going to the ER because it’s more expensive than going to the doctor’s office several days later. I guessed a heart attack was going to kill him and all I could think about was this would be common is the current administration is able to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan (2023). Detective Chief Superintendent Kat Frank has been on leave while recovering from the death of her husband but now she is ready to return to work. Her boss says the only opening is to head a cold case unit in partnership with an AI detective entity, basically a robot to second guess her every move. The result is intriguing and sometimes funny. My review.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben; narrator, Steven Weber (2023)(audio). David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for murdering his son and while he believes he is innocent, his devastation at losing Matthew prevented him from mounting an adequate defense. But when his former sister-in-law visits him with a picture that indicates Matthew is actually alive, David is determined to escape to find his son. This was an entertaining listen but way too melodramatic and implausible.
The Waiting by Michael Connelly (2024). Los Angeles police detective Renee Ballard is tracking a serial rapist with the help of the newest volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter. Renee is also dealing with the theft from her car of her police badge and gun, which she decides to retrieve herself. I really wish she didn't live out of her car.
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (1943). In Hercule Poirot’s 25th case, a young woman asks him to investigate whether her mother really killed her father many years earlier. Poirot is skilled at cold cases, extracting information the police should have discovered at the time. My review.
The Distant Echo by Val McDermid; narrator, Tom Cotcher (2003) (audio). Twenty-five years ago, four friends heading home from the pub at the end of the semester came across a young woman who’d been left for dead. There were no other plausible suspects but nothing could be proven against them so they suffered the damage to their reputations. Now, the case is reopened and they hope their names can be cleared – but there’s someone out there who wants revenge!
A Darker Domain by Val McDermid (2009). Karen Pirie was primarily in the background in The Distant Echo but now she’s a Detective Inspector juggling two cases – a woman who wants to find her missing father because her son needs a bone marrow transplant and a millionaire still traumatized about the kidnapping of his daughter and grandson many years ago. I like her sarcasm and her determination to follow through on a case she knows her boss would not prioritize. My review.
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger; narrator, Vivienne Leheny (2022)(audio). Three couples are spending the weekend together in a luxurious but isolated cabin but Hannah is worried. Her workaholic husband just told her he can no longer work with her brother, her married brother is flirting with her best friend, a storm is coming that will cut them off, and she saw a ghost in the woods. I briefly worked with author Unger at Berkley many years ago and it is interesting to see how successful her writing been.
Historical Fiction
False Colours by Georgette Heyer (1963). When Kit Fancot reluctantly impersonates his identical twin at a party, it is to save his prospective sister-in-law from humiliation of a no-show fiancé and it’s meant to be for one evening only. But his brother is still missing so Kit is trapped in an awkward masquerade! A five-star read and a good introduction to Heyer. My review.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023). A historical novel that is also a mystery, featuring 18th century midwife, Martha Ballard, has been very popular with book groups, including mine. When one of Martha’s clients is raped, she becomes a witness and refuses to back down even though much of the town and the legal system seems to be against her. I assume this book was inspired by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife’s Tale and I wonder what she thinks about Lawhon's version.
Fiction
Love in a Mist by Susan Scarlett aka Noel Streatfeild (1951). Noel Streatfeild wrote 12 light-hearted novels for adults under a pseudonym and Dean Street Press has brought them back into print so you should try one. This is about the American daughter-in-law of a British family who encourages her son to act in a movie, hoping it will give him self-confidence, although his success causes upheaval in the family. My review for Dean Street December.
Juvenile
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1920). In Baum’s final Oz book, published after his death, Ozma and Dorothy travel to the outskirts of Oz, hoping to prevent a war. Instead, both sides reject her sage counsel, and Ozma and Dorothy are imprisoned, then submerged with the Skeezers and their island. It is up to Glinda to organize their allies and come save the day. My review.
Nonfiction
A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story by Brenda Ashford (2012). Nurse Brenda spent 62 years as a nanny, mostly for affluent families but also for evacuees during WWII, and her memoir reveals a surprisingly egalitarian attitude. I always enjoy Upstairs Downstairs stories so reading about her dawn to 10 pm routine with various families and her interaction with family and staff was quite interesting and fun to read about. Kate Thompson, who wrote The Little Wartime Library and other WWII historical fiction, was the ghostwriter and the book might have benefitted from a little less sugar and a little more edge. Thanks to Cath for this recommendation!
Romance
Love Irresistibly by Julie James (2013). James, a former lawyer, has written nine books, most featuring FBI Special Agents, who investigate crimes, and the U.S. Attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. I’m sorry she’s stopped writing and was pleased to see there were two I hadn’t read. This involves a workaholic in-house counsel and an annoying but attractive local prosecutor.
The God of the Wood by Liz Moore (2024). When teenage camper Barbara Van Laar disappears from her cabin, every local called in to help search remembers how her older brother vanished 14 years earlier. Are the two incidents related? I thought Moore’s first book, Long Bright River, was well done, although very dark and full of unlikable characters. This one is the same but, in my opinion, spoiled by a very unconvincing conclusion. I also got tired of the flashbacks.
One of the nicer characters has heart twinges but postpones going to the ER because it’s more expensive than going to the doctor’s office several days later. I guessed a heart attack was going to kill him and all I could think about was this would be common is the current administration is able to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben; narrator, Steven Weber (2023)(audio). David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for murdering his son and while he believes he is innocent, his devastation at losing Matthew prevented him from mounting an adequate defense. But when his former sister-in-law visits him with a picture that indicates Matthew is actually alive, David is determined to escape to find his son. This was an entertaining listen but way too melodramatic and implausible.
The Waiting by Michael Connelly (2024). Los Angeles police detective Renee Ballard is tracking a serial rapist with the help of the newest volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter. Renee is also dealing with the theft from her car of her police badge and gun, which she decides to retrieve herself. I really wish she didn't live out of her car.
The Distant Echo by Val McDermid; narrator, Tom Cotcher (2003) (audio). Twenty-five years ago, four friends heading home from the pub at the end of the semester came across a young woman who’d been left for dead. There were no other plausible suspects but nothing could be proven against them so they suffered the damage to their reputations. Now, the case is reopened and they hope their names can be cleared – but there’s someone out there who wants revenge!
A Darker Domain by Val McDermid (2009). Karen Pirie was primarily in the background in The Distant Echo but now she’s a Detective Inspector juggling two cases – a woman who wants to find her missing father because her son needs a bone marrow transplant and a millionaire still traumatized about the kidnapping of his daughter and grandson many years ago. I like her sarcasm and her determination to follow through on a case she knows her boss would not prioritize. My review.
Historical Fiction
False Colours by Georgette Heyer (1963). When Kit Fancot reluctantly impersonates his identical twin at a party, it is to save his prospective sister-in-law from humiliation of a no-show fiancé and it’s meant to be for one evening only. But his brother is still missing so Kit is trapped in an awkward masquerade! A five-star read and a good introduction to Heyer. My review.
Fiction
Love in a Mist by Susan Scarlett aka Noel Streatfeild (1951). Noel Streatfeild wrote 12 light-hearted novels for adults under a pseudonym and Dean Street Press has brought them back into print so you should try one. This is about the American daughter-in-law of a British family who encourages her son to act in a movie, hoping it will give him self-confidence, although his success causes upheaval in the family. My review for Dean Street December.
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1920). In Baum’s final Oz book, published after his death, Ozma and Dorothy travel to the outskirts of Oz, hoping to prevent a war. Instead, both sides reject her sage counsel, and Ozma and Dorothy are imprisoned, then submerged with the Skeezers and their island. It is up to Glinda to organize their allies and come save the day. My review.
Nonfiction
A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story by Brenda Ashford (2012). Nurse Brenda spent 62 years as a nanny, mostly for affluent families but also for evacuees during WWII, and her memoir reveals a surprisingly egalitarian attitude. I always enjoy Upstairs Downstairs stories so reading about her dawn to 10 pm routine with various families and her interaction with family and staff was quite interesting and fun to read about. Kate Thompson, who wrote The Little Wartime Library and other WWII historical fiction, was the ghostwriter and the book might have benefitted from a little less sugar and a little more edge. Thanks to Cath for this recommendation!
Love Irresistibly by Julie James (2013). James, a former lawyer, has written nine books, most featuring FBI Special Agents, who investigate crimes, and the U.S. Attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. I’m sorry she’s stopped writing and was pleased to see there were two I hadn’t read. This involves a workaholic in-house counsel and an annoying but attractive local prosecutor.
Have you read any of these?
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