Author Karsten Dusse is well-known in Germany as a lawyer, TV star, and very funny man. “Murder Mindfully” is his first novel, and it’s a doozy, This magnificently conceived novel amply demonstrates all his talents and does so in a stunning fashion that will leave many readers, including this one, with huge smiles and awe that such a humorous piece jumps off the pages of a pretty darn gory murder novel.
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I really hadn’t heard of Frances Perkins, Secretary Perkins, Madam Secretary, Fannie Perkins, or Mrs. Paul Wilson, as the first female cabinet secretary was called at various times in her life. And that’s a shame, because this woman shattered glass ceilings over and over during her lifetime.
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In “How Simi Got Her Groom Back,” author Sonali Dev uses a cute and clever title to draw us in and make this novel appear to be a delicious romcom. And it is a romcom, but like many wonderfully written novels in that genre, it’s so much more than “just” a romantic comedy. While we read about Simi and her sister Rupi, we are reading about their really tragic childhood, their sisterly bond, human trafficking, the difficulties of immigration, the perils of life in India, and the wonders of a loving family.
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Before you even open the cover of “The Astral Library,” you know immediately that this novel is something special. At least in the first edition of this book, the edges of the pages are stenciled in blue with a dragon-scale pattern and the endpapers are gorgeously illustrated in blues and gold. But the physical appearance of this masterpiece by Kate Quinn is no greater than the story itself, which is a true love story.
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I’m a huge fan of Sadeqa Johnson, and this new novel is as emotionally riveting and filled with fascinating — and often horrifying — historical details, as her novel “Yellow Wife.” The three main characters are all very different individuals: Ethel is a married Black woman living in post-war Germany in 1950 with her husband who is in the military. Ozzie is a Black teenager, only 19, when he volunteers in the Army. He is heading to Germany in 1950, and he’s optimistically hoping to be able to use his intellect in Army Intelligence. And then there’s Sophia, who is 16. She finds out that she was selected to receive a scholarship to integrate a posh private high school, but she’s worried her parents won’t let her go because they need her help on the farm. Her story begins in 1965.
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All married couples have arguments. But what happens when shortly after that spat, your spouse disappears? That’s the beginning of acclaimed author Thrity Umrigar’s newest novel, “Missing Sam.” Aliya and Sam (short for Samantha) have been married for years and live a comfortable life in their Cleveland suburb. But after a party brings past irritations to the surface, they argue. And the next morning, Sam goes for a run and doesn’t come back.
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You know that little voice in your head that sometimes feeds your insecurity? The voice that whispers maybe you aren’t good enough? In “The Naysayers,” authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke explore that concept by creating an alternate world in which people are paid to literally whisper negative thoughts into the heads of those who reside in the “Real World” and are in “danger” of being too happy and secure in their lives.
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Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels deal with the human condition; our complex natures, our frailties, the mistakes we make, as well as our ability to forgive, to learn, to change, and to show compassion to others. All of her novels feature, to some extent, unlikely people who forge families. In “Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe,” we meet Addie Finch, a tough security guard who hides her emotions behind the brittle walls she has erected around herself.
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While most of Louise Penny’s fabulous Inspector Gamache books can be read as stand-alone novels, “The Black Wolf” is certainly the second half of her last book, “The Grey Wolf.” Unlike the other books in the series, that one ended with the clear idea that the ultimate problem was not solved, that there was another issue Gamache and his colleagues (who are also friends and family) must deal with.
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Author Paul Bradley Carr has written a scary novel called “The Confessions.” It will not make you jump out of your seat or scream. There’s no Count Dracula, no one-eyed monsters, no murderous criminals suddenly appearing behind their unwary victims. But “The Confessions” is more frightening than all those traditional horror tropes put together — because it demonstrates all too clearly the simple fact that we human beings are in the process of destroying ourselves. And reading this novel also makes clear that that simple fact is not a prediction, not an opinion. It is clear proof that our self-destruction is happening right now.
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Author Bruce Holsinger’s novel, “Culpability,” boasts several unique features, all of which are very effectively conceived and even more effectively executed. Reviewers are often asked to place a given book in a particular genre. But “Culpability” fits securely and comfortably in three different genres.
One is “family drama.” The entire novel offers information about the adventures, tribulations, sadness, and love that characterize the Cassidy-Shaw family. The second, every bit as significant as the family theme, is the character study. And in this novel, unlike others, we are offered deep and detailed character studies, not about one main member of the cast, as is usually the case, but about all five family members. The studies are, in each case, complete and detailed. We learn all about the strengths, flaws, concerns, wishes, and hopes of each one as pile upon pile of unfortunate events overwhelm them — some of those events resulting from outside problems over which they seem to have little or no control, and some of them due to the various character flaws from which each family member suffers.
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In today’s polarized world, people are often talked about as “them” or “those people,” pejorative terms to say the least. In “One of Them,” author Kitty Zeldis takes that phrase, those words, and exposes the microaggressions, the ignorance, the prejudice behind them. There are two main characters whom we meet as they both attend Vassar College. While both are Jewish and from wealthy families, their approach to life is very different.
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