In the very first chapter of “It’s Not Her,” Mary Kubica describes in detail a violent double murder. One of the main characters and narrators, Courtney, witnesses the brutal slaying of her best friend Emily and Emily’s husband, Courtney’s brother. The other main character is Courtney’s niece, Reese. Cleverly, while both narratives are in first person, Courtney narrates what is happening in the now, while Reese’s narrative explains the events of the preceding week.
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Nature versus nurture. Genes versus upbringing. What forces form a child into the adult he or she becomes? In “What Boys Learn,” author Andromeda Romano-Lax delves forces us to consider that dilemma as we meet Abby Rosso, a counselor whose childhood was really rough. Her only sibling is a brother who is a psychopath and ended up in prison. But Abby also has done things she’s ashamed of.
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Author Gilly Macmillan’s brilliant and unique murder/mystery novel, “The Burning Library,” takes us on a most unusual voyage, as first two, then three distinct forces search for an ancient manuscript titled “The Book of Wonder.” Whoever finds it first will have almost immediate access to millions of dollars because that manuscript offers the rare and potentially profitable opportunity to see how a few women centuries ago tried to overcome the alleged superiority of the male of the human species and prove that women were and are equal to or superior to men.
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David Rosenfelt’s 31st (!) entry in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series is “Dogged Pursuit.” But this one is significantly different from the earlier entries in one important way: it’s a prequel featuring Andy as a rookie in the defense attorney business. He’s approaching thirty years of age and has decided that it’s time to help those who are essentially victims of the system. He wants to give the wrongly accused a real chance in court. And though he’s relatively young, and all his previous work has been on the prosecution side, he has an inner confidence that whispers, “Help people. You can do it.”
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With “We Are All Guilty Here,” acclaimed author Karin Slaughter kicks off a new series set in rural Georgia and featuring Emmy Clifton, a deputy sheriff. There’s something very satisfying about reading the first book in a new series by a favorite author. The first book in a series provides important background information about the characters and their relationships and their backstories. Subsequent mysteries will, of course, fill in enough details so that future stories make sense on their own, but I believe having read the very first novel provides special insight.
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This is the third novel in the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series, and as is suggested by the title, “A Devil in Oxford,” the setting is Oxford, England, in the days before Christmas, 1922. While the main character, Ruby Vaughn is an American, she spent time in France during WWI and now lives in Exeter with the charming octogenarian Mr. Owen; Mrs. Penrose, their clever and admirable housekeeper; and a black cat. In each novel Ruby travels to a different location where she stumbles on a murder that she is compelled to solve.
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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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I loved Tess Gerritsen’s “The Spy Coast,” and her sequel, “The Summer Guests” makes this a series that is sure to be one of my favorites. There’s so much to enjoy—especially for readers of a certain age. We love reading about main characters who are our (Boomer) age. Main characters whose aches and pains might be there, but don’t stop us from enjoying life and doing our best to be active and actively participants in the world around us.
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In her seventh book, “The Deadly Book Club,” author Lyn Liao Butler presents a thrilling murder mystery filled with likely suspects, all of whom might have had a reason to kill the victim. Five women, prominent book influencers, meet online once a month to talk business and books, drink cocktails, and dish dirt. During one meeting, when several of them happen to be in Hawaii, the screen freezes. But the audio continues, and those in the meeting hear bloodcurdling screams as one of them is surely being murdered.
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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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“A Dark and Deadly Journey,” may be the third installment of Julia Kelly’s Evelyne Redfern Mysteries, but it’s the first time Evelyne travels internationally in her job with British Intelligence. She must investigate the disappearance of a trusted informant from Portugal. Because the novel is set in the middle of WWII, and Evelyne and her partner David are sent to Lisbon to find this important informant, Evelyne’s first person narration gives us an on-the-ground look at what life was like in Portugal because of its neutral status during the war.
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In Sarah Pekkanen’s latest, suspense-filled novel “The Locked Ward,” we meet two sisters, Georgia and Amanda, twins actually, who were separated at birth but now find themselves entangled in a web of deceit. The writing is ingenious as Pekkanen uses two different points of view to share the sisters’ stories. Amanda’s story is told in first person, each chapter labeled with her nickname “Mandy,” while Georgia’s narrative is shared in second person narrative. The second person narrative is a bit unsettling at first, but it quickly becomes apparent that by relating Georgia’s story as if it is happening to us, we feel deeply involved and a part of the action.
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