From almost the first page, Sarah Pekkanen’s “The Women in White” is both compelling and gripping. From the start we feel connected to the main character Riley. Her first person narrative in the present grounds us as we read some chapters narrated in third person about the four other women who are also at the center of this fascinating story about research into psychic abilities.
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In “Whistler,” author Ann Patchett invites us to consider all the events from our past, from our childhood, that we have forgotten. And most of us do not remember huge swaths of our childhood years; perhaps certain impressionable events stand out, special birthdays or celebrations. Holidays or coming of age parties might be memorable. But we can’t remember everything. If this brilliant novel were a person, you would describe that person as soft-spoken, intelligent, thoughtful, and charismatic. It would be someone you would want to make your best friend.
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To really understand Paul Yoon’s new novel, “Etna,” I went back and read his tribute to his dog Oscar, which was one of the short pieces in the collection “The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love.” And while I didn’t cry while reading “Etna,” I did cry when I reread the essay “Oscar,” substituting the fictional Etna for Yoon’s actual dog, Oscar.
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In “Mist and Malice,” the second book in Rachel Howzell Hall’s exciting “Haven Thriller” series, the action starts right up where the first book ends. For those who haven’t read the first book, it could be confusing. I would definitely suggest reading this novel after reading the first one because a lot of the backstory of the characters is delineated in “Fog and Fury,” the first novel.
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In Jo Piazza’s “The Parisian Heist,” we don’t meet the brilliant artist Vincent Van Gogh, but we learn a lot about him through the fictionalized character of his sister-in-law Jo Van Gogh and the completely fictional character of a friend, Claire Donadieu. Piazza alternates the narrative between Jo Van Gogh’s real battle to get Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings to be seen and admired and — ultimately — valued, and a modern day thriller about three art students who find they’ve been invited to participate in one of the strangest heists in history.
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In Lisa Jewell’s newest psychological thriller, “It Could Have Been Her,” she brings back a character from her last thriller, “Don’t Let Him In.” In that novel, Jane Trevally was a minor character, an older woman who helped solve the mystery. In this new release, Jane makes a fabulous, complex, very relatable main character, and her Jessica Fletcher-like investigation into a missing woman uncovers chilling secrets that a family had desperately tried to hide.
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With “A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage,” author M. K. Oliver delivers a shining example of a novel that is so clever and filled with really funny lines that in spite of ourselves, we can’t help but root for Lalla Rook, the main character, who also happens to be (as the title discloses) a sociopath.
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Historical fiction is a favorite for many readers and for many reasons. When the fiction part is gripping and engaging, we get to learn about history while enjoying a fabulous novel. And that’s what “The Windsor Affair” accomplishes in spades. It’s the fictional account of two real women who were married to British kings, and whose relationship could only be described as fraught with hostility and bitterness from both parties.
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Beatriz Williams’ novels set on Winthrop Island are a perfect combination of fabulous stand-alone reads, as well as part of the Winthrop Island books; they return Williams’ fans to Winthrop Island, where many of her books are set, and bring back the fabulous characters we met in those previous novels. “When You Loved Me,” introduces Lucy Cooper, whose father has lived on the island his whole life. Bud Cooper stayed on the island because he was determined to find the legendary pirate’s treasure that was rumored to be buried somewhere on the property.
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Jenny Colgan comes through again with her new romance, “Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages.” Colgan’s books need a genre of their own, and I suggest “travel-rom,” because they are equal part romance and detailed descriptions of lovely places so as to make these places seem irresistible.
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Rick Mofina’s thriller, “One Second Away,” is a classic mystery/suspense novel, a story of murders, kidnapping, power grabs, and the horror of looking directly into the face of evil and having the evil glare right back at you with menacing intent. The major plot concerns the kidnapping of a nine-year-old boy, his mother’s search for him, and the seemingly impossible task not only of finding him, but also finding the reasons for the kidnap, the persons or organization which planned it, and the reason that that particular boy was the target of the perpetrators.
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One of the joys of reading is starting a book and being hooked from the first page, and with “Off the Record,” author Sara Goodman Confino accomplishes that and more. This enchanting story features Judy Greenberg, who in 1962 has graduated from college with a degree in journalism. Unlike her college peers, Judy is not interested in an MRS. Instead, she is determined to have a career as a journalist — and not one who writes about “women’s issues” like getting stains out of tablecloths or child rearing.
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