Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason

Imagine that you kind of accidentally killed a man in your living room.  You know it's not really your fault, but then again, would the police see it that way?  So you bury it in the back yard and try to regain the life you had before.  That's Jason Getty's situation.  He came to town after his wife died and left him some money.  He didn't really know anyone and he's a shy man who is easily swayed or even bullied by others.  When a charming sociopath takes a favor Jason did for him to establish a relationship where he came and took from Jason all the time, Jason doesn't know what to do and it ended in death.

Now imagine this.  When you bought your house, no one told you that a scandal had occurred there.  The wife of the family had just up and left one day, leaving behind her husband.  Except she didn't leave.  It turns out that she and the man she was having an affair with were surprised one day and now are on either side of the house, guarding it in death.

When the police learn about the deaths from the brother of the man who was married to the woman, they come to the house and quickly locate the graves of the two.  Jason, of course, never knew he was living between two bodies and now there's the added complication that he'll need to move the body he planted in the backyard before the police find that one as well.  But things never go smoothly for Jason.  Before the night is over, he is caught up in a live and death struggle along with the fiance of the buried man, the brother who killed them both and a police detective that has gotten suspicious.  How it will all turn out is anyone's guess.

Jamie Mason has written an engaging mystery with believable characters caught up in unimaginable circumstances.  This is Mason's debut novel and it was well received and reviewed.  On a personal note, I met Mrs. Mason at an author's lunch and was thrilled to hear about her process and her take on the book.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

It is the 1680's in the United States.  A farmer/trader has carved out a smallholding for himself, after starting in poverty.  He advertises for a wife and is pleasantly surprised with the young, beautiful woman who arrives.  As he is on the road so much, he needs servants to help her run his farm while he is gone.  He doesn't like having male servants, so he has three female ones.

Lina is the oldest, a woman who came to him after being misused in her prior life.  She has no desire for marriage or a man and is devoted to her mistress and Sir as he is known.  The mistress starts off very remote to Lina but as they are left on their own so much and as Lina helps her through her pregnancies and births, and as she grieves with the mistress over the deaths of all her children, they become close.

Sorrow is someone no one knows much about.  She is a white woman who grew up on her father's boat and after he died, was cast ashore with no idea how to survive.  She ended up at Sir's estate after the sons of her rescuers were taking too much interest in her.  Most consider Sorrow to be mentally challenged but she sees the world around her through a different filter than others do. 

Florens is the newest member, a slave girl who Sir accepted as partial payment of a loan rashly given to a plantation owner.  She is only six when she arrives; her mother having pushed her forward when Sir looked over the possible individuals the plantation owner was willing to give up.  Florens is attached to Lina, who sees Florens as the child she'll never have.  The mistress accepts her but also resents having this living child while her own have all died. 

A crisis occurs when smallpox attacks the farm.  Sir is in the process of having a big stately house built.  The pox spreads quickly through the farm's occupants, and it is decided that only the blacksmith who came to build the gates has a chance of healing everyone.  Florens is dispatched on her own to find him and bring him back, even though Lina distrusts him as she suspects that Florens has become infatuated with him.

Morrison has written a haunting tale that not only describes daily life in the time period with owners, indentured servants, slaves and children taken in after death removes their parents.  Slavery is shown for its cruelty and for the sacrifice that slave women often took; pushing their children forward to be taken out of cruel situations when they believe another situation might be better.  Of course the children see it only as rejection and many spend their lives trying to replace that motherly love and the sense of trust that is snatched away.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

American Predator by Maureen Callahan

The police and FBI had never seen a killer like Israel Keyes.  Most of their tried and true procedures just didn't work when tracking someone like him.  Keyes killed indiscriminately across the United States and possibly Canada.  He killed young, old, male, female.  He didn't kill anyone he knew; he just randomly found someone when he decided it was time to hunt.  Keyes had been serious about killing for years.  He traveled extensively and buried kill caches across many states, and then might not return for years.  The caches held things like guns, restraints, money, etc.  Those who knew him in Anchorage, Alaska, where he lived the longest, had no idea of his hidden side.  He was a contractor who did meticulous work to perfecting standards.  Even more strange, he had a young daughter who was the most important person in the world to him.

Keyes was raised in various extremist religious cults and many suspected abuse of the ten children in his family although none was ever proved.  He joined the military to perfect his killing ability and was well regarded there.  He lived on an Indian reservation for several years then moved to Alaska.  He was caught after one of his only sloppy kills.  He abducted and killed a young woman in Anchorage, Samantha Koenig.  He was caught when he started using her debit card while traveling in Texas.

Although he confessed the first interview to Koenig's murder, the FBI and police personnel interviewing him knew he had many more stories to tell.  Keyes wanted to be in control of the interviews and his main requirement was that those in charge help him get an early death penalty; he did not want to stay in jail the rest of his life and expose his daughter to the publicity his crimes  would create.  He eventually confessed to killing a couple in New Hampshire and hinted at many other kills before he decided those in charge weren't taking his requirements seriously.  He killed himself before telling everything that police had hoped to get.  Police have tied him to at least eleven murders and expect that there are many more they don't know about and now never will.  He is unique in his skill and coldblooded approach to killing.  This book is recommended for readers of true crime.

The Widows Of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

In 1921, in Bombay, India, Perveen Mistry is a groundbreaker.  She is the first woman to practice law, although she isn't allowed to argue cases in court.  She works in Mistry Law, her father's firm, on civil cases and documents such as wills and contracts.  Perveen wasn't always a groundbreaker.  She had an early marriage that turned into a nightmare after she married the man and went to live with his family in Calcutta.  After managing to break free of him, she ended up going to Oxford for three years, getting her law degree.  Her family and especially her father, has always supported her dreams.

Perveen is faced with a vexing case.  A longtime client of the firm, Mr. Omar Farid, has died.  He was a Muslim man and left behind three wives who live in seclusion plus various children.  A man who worked for his firm has been appointed their guardian and has presented papers that would turn over each wife's financial legacy to his control.  Perveen worries that this is a case of compulsion and since the wives cannot speak to men, she is allowed to go talk with them.

She finds that the women are treated differently.  The first wife, Razia, was left land on which the company's buildings were located.  The second wife, Sakina, was left valuable jewelry.  The third, who was married to Omar for only a short time and who came from the city's entertainment section, was left only her musical instruments.  Perveen finds that the women know very little about their husband's estate, and what was left to each one.  Worse, she finds that the guardian is very abrupt and condescending and he has total control over the women.  He can marry them off to other men, force them to hand over their possessions and make their lives miserable.  Perveen is determined to help the women but before she can make headway, the estate agent is murdered in the house.  Were one of the wives responsible or did someone come in and do the crime?

Sujata Massey has written an entertaining tale that gives the reader insight into India and its customs in the 1920's, all the different religions and their rules, and above all, the restricted lives that women were forced to lead during the time.  Perveen is intelligent but even as a professional woman is so sheltered that her efforts to solve the crime are thwarted over and over.  Her final success is one that many readers won't expect.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

This book is from the Welcome to Night Vale universe.  It covers the show from the pilot episode to episode twenty-five.  The first season of the podcast was the first ten episodes and took place from March to July 2016.  After a short hiatus, the podcast returned in April 2017.

For each episode, the entire script is given, although those who only read and don't listen miss the background music that is an important part.  Before each episode, the authors talk about what they were thinking as they wrote it and what caused specific events or characters to be introduced. 

Night Vale fans will recognize their favorites; the angels who might not be real, the man in the Indian headdress, the hapless interns, Cecil is the narrator, the man whose nightly broadcast keeps the town together and informed.  We meet his crush, Carlos, a man of science and of course those menacing librarians cannot be contained and may break into any episode.  Night Vale is a place of many dangers but these dangers are considered everyday events there and only merit the briefest of mentions.

Night Vale fans will enjoy the back story for what has become such a successful venture and those who wonder what all the fuss is about will be able to get in on the phenomenon from the beginning.  This book is recommended for sci fi/fantasy readers.

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

When all hope disappears for finding a lost child, there is Naomi.  Parents find her through word of mouth; she is a legend in the field.  She only takes one case at a time and spends whatever time is necessary until there is a result.  She has found children missing for years; she has found bodies returned to grieving parents.  She is unstoppable and has tunnel vision until she reaches resolution.  What parents don't know is that Naomi was a lost child herself.

Madison Culver has been missing for three years.  Her parents turned their backs for one minute on a family Christmas tree expedition in the forest and she was gone.   No one believes she is alive.  The weather was horrible that day and winter was brutal.  No body has been found.  Naomi agrees to take the case.

What Naomi can remember of her life begins the night she escaped.  She came running out of the dark to a migrant campfire, naked, in shock and unable to remember what she was running from.  She was around nine although her birthday was lost in the clouds that shroud her past.  She knows only two things; that her name is Naomi and that her mother is dead.  She is taken to a wonderful foster mother where another child lives also.  He is around Naomi's age and becomes the only friend of her childhood; the only one she tells her secrets to.

As Naomi searches for Madison, she meets the people of the remote area in Oregon where the child was missing.  She is not welcomed and as she searches, she starts to uncover local secrets.  There is a ranger who worries about her who also searches for those missing in his area and a policeman who serves as a resource for Naomi.  She uses their help but gets close to no one. 

Rene Denfeld has created a compelling character in Naomi.  Her own story lends authority to her searching as she is, in a way, always searching for herself, and for the child who she starts to remember running with her that night.  Naomi has seen the worst in human nature and yet she perseveres to give the lost children a voice and a way home.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

When Cassie Bowden wakes up she is disoriented.  That's not anything new; as a woman who drinks too much she is used to waking up in unfamiliar rooms, often with a man she barely remembers.  As a flight attendant, she often can't even immediately place the city she is in. 

But something is even stranger this morning.  As she tries to orient herself, she realises something is very wrong.  There's a smell and a feel around her she has never experienced.  As the fog lifts, she sees the charming hedge fund manager, Alexander, she spent the night with.  But this is Alexander covered in a cascade of blood; his throat slashed.  What could she have done?

Cassie manages to get herself together, leave the hotel room and make it back to her own hotel before the flight out of Dubai leaves.  She is full of questions.  Could she have done it?  Why doesn't she remember?  Who was the woman who came by to have a drink with them?  How can she get by and keep the secret?

Inevitably, the story emerges.  Cassie is caught between her job and the police investigation.  The FBI are called in as the victim is an American in a foreign land.  Worse, it turns out the woman who Cassie barely remembers was an assassin.  That woman, Elena, is in trouble herself for not killing Cassie at the same time she killed Alexander.  Cassie is left to wonder who will get her first, Elena or the law?

Bohjalian has written an engaging premise and opening chapter for this book.  The reader cannot help but imagine what that scene must have been like and what they would have done in Cassie's place.  But, at least for me, I found Cassie's lack of personal engagement with others and her selfish self-destruction offputting enough that I had a hard time relating to her.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

A family comes together after the man and woman meet at work.  Both are audio documentarians and work at archiving sounds of the city that could disappear.  Both have a child from a previous relationship so the new family has a husband, wife, son and daughter.  They are a close family.  As time goes by, the husband becomes interested in the Apaches and how their tribe disappeared.  He tells the children stories of chiefs live Geronimo and Cochise.  The wife becomes interested in the concept of lost children due to the immigration crisis at the southern border.  A friend of theirs has two daughters who have traveled alone to find their mother and who have been seized by the authorities.

But as time goes by a distance starts to grow.  The husband informs his wife that he wants to take an extended family road trip from their New York City home to the Southwest.  He wants to visit the former Apache lands and the things left from the tribe.  He then informs her that his project will take a long time, at least a year maybe more.

Unsure what this means for the family, they take off on a road trip.  The children are close and as the days go by, the family learns about America as they travel, give each other nicknames as the Indians gave each other names that reflected the person's interests and skills.  The parents grow more and more distant but the children are oblivious as children often are.  Everything comes to a head when their friend's children become lost and their own children decide to leave to try to find the little girls wandering in the desert.

This is an interesting take on the immigration issues that are facing our country as well as others.  It talks about alienation, what it means to be a family and what one is willing to give up in order to be with those one loves.  It raises the issue of whether work or family should be the paramount force and which will need to be compromised in order to have both.  This book is a Booker nominee and is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Hush Hush by Laura Lippman

One hot summer day a decade ago, mother Melisandre Harris Dawes, went out to run errands.  Her two toddler daughters were at nursery school, taken by their nanny.  She took the baby with her on her errands.  And on that hot summer day, she got out, sat under a shade tree while her baby sat in the car in the sun and baked to death.

The publicity was instant and derogatory.  How could a mother forget her baby?  Did Melisandre kill her baby on purpose?  Did she have postpartum depression?  How should she be punished?  In the end, Melisandre was hospitalized for a while, then upon release, went overseas to live with relatives.  She hasn't seen the surviving girls or had any kind of contact for over ten years.

But suddenly, she is back in Baltimore.  She is starring in a documentary about the case, done by a woman filmmaker who needs the film to be a success to get her career back on track.  Melisandre wants contact with her daughters, but her ex-husband refuses.  He is remarried with another baby and doesn't want her rocking the boat.

Tess Monaghan, former journalist and now private investigator, remembers the story vividly.  Now that Tess is a mother, she views Melisandre's actions through a different filter.  She is hired by her uncle who is also Melisandre's attorney, to determine her security needs and serve as a bodyguard of sorts.  At first Tess doesn't think it is necessary but when those around Melisandre start to have accidents she knows something big is going on.  Soon the ex husband is killed and Melisandre is the prime suspect.  Can Tess find the truth?

Laura Lippman is a successful mystery author, usually setting her books in her home locale of Baltimore and surrounding areas.  Tess Monaghan is a recurring figure and this is Lippman's twelfth book in the series about Tess.  The reader is drawn into the family conflict and is also interested to read about Tess's own domestic life.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

August 15, 1947.  This is the date of India's independence from Britain.  It is also the birthdate of a thousand 'midnight's children', those children born on the exact moment of India's creation.  Their lives are tied to that of their mother country and reflect what is going on in the world around them.  Each child receives a special gift.  One can time travel, one change genders at will, another knows all about spells and potions.  Two of the babies are born in the same hospital.  Saleem Sinai and Shiva.  One is from a poor Hindu family, the other from a wealthy Muslim one.  A nanny who is there swaps the children.  The wealthy heir is sent to the slums to grow up poor and desperate.  Saleem is sent to the wealthy family and given everything he needs and desires.  He has the gift of telepathy and can psychically contact the others.  He creates a midnight's children congress which meets every night.

But things are not easy in India.  First, Pakistan demands it's own independence.  When Saleem is a teenager, the deceit of his nanny is revealed and he is unmasked as a fraud.  His family loves him though so not much is done.  The family moves to Pakistan and over the years, Saleem experiences the horrors the world is going through; war, poverty, repression, political torture, etc.  The other child, Shiva, grows up to embody his namesake, The Destroyer, and rises to fame in the military, killing those who oppose the government.  How will the story end of these two men, twinned at birth and now opposite in every way?

This novel is Salman Rushdie's crowning jewel.  It won the Booker in 1981 and then won the Booker of Bookers later, which was selected by readers.  It is a huge analogy of freedom and repression, opposite sides of the coin.  The writing is lavish and imaginative, a waterfall of images and comedy and tragedy that spews forward until the reader must give way to it and accept it all.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

The Eye Of The World by Robert Jordan

Three young men are growing up happily in their small village.   Little do they know that their contentment will be short lived.  In one night, Trollocs descent on their village and it becomes apparent that The Dark One has sent them to bring the three to him. 

Luckily, the three (Rand Al-Thor, Mat and Perrin) have help at hand.  Moiraine, an Aes Sedai or magical lady and her protector, Lan, are close at hand to diagnose the issue and help the three escape.  Along with them go Egwene, a village girl who Rand is attracted to and Nynaeve, the Village Wisdom.  The band travels as quickly as possible but are followed by the minions of The Dark One at every turn.  Along the way, the group picks up Loial, an Ogre who is a giant who understands the life of trees.  They continue their mission until Rand finally is caught in a fight with The Dark One, a fight for the survival of the world.

This is book one in the epic Wheel Of Time series.  As is common with many first novels in a series, much time is spent world building and setting up the characters and their traits.  I've been promising my son for years that I'd read this series as it is his favorite and the first book was worth the read.  This book is recommended for epic fantasy readers.

Booksie's Shelves, August 22, 2019

I don't know about where you are, but here in North Carolina it is hot, hot, hot.  With high humidity and temperatures in the high nineties, all you can do is hunker down and wait for a cool front to come and make things better.  Since house time equals lots of reading time, I'm ok with it. We decided to replace our thirteen year old refrigerator this week so the new one is bigger but its taking me a while to adjust to it.   My chrysanthemum has come back and is blooming merrily and I'm thinking about putting my fall wreath on the front door to try to hasten things along.  Regardless of weather, the books keep rolling in.  Here's what's made it through the door (i.e., physical copies instead of the daily onslaught of ebooks):

1.  The Voluptuous Delights Of Peanut Butter And Jam, Lauren Liebenberg, literary fiction, bought
2.  Monster Love, Carol Topolsi, literary fiction, purchased
3.  Hope Farm, Peggy Frew, literary fiction, gift
4.  Love And Death In The Sunshine State, Cutter Wood, true crime, gift
5.  The Room Of Lost Things, Stella Duffy, literary fiction, purchased
6.  Sorry, Gail Jones, literary fiction, purchased
7.  Paper Chains, Nicola Moriarty, literary fiction, sent by publisher
8.  Do You Mind If I Cancel?, Gary Janetti, memoir, sent by publisher
9.  Critical Injuries, Joan Barfoot, literary fiction, purchased
10.  After The Eclipse, Sarah Perry, memoir, purchased
11.  Nottingham, Nathan Makaryk, fantasy, sent by publisher
12.  29 Seconds, T.M. Logan, thriller, won in contest
13.  Pat Conroy, Our Lifelong Friendship, Bernie Schein, memoir, won in contest
14.  Th1rt3en, Steve Cavanagh, thriller, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Lost Children Archive, Valeria Luiselli, hardback
2.  The Child Finder, Rene Denfield, Kindle Fire
3.  Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie, paperback
4.  Hush, Laura Lippman, paperback
5.  The Flight Attendant, Chris Bohjalian, Kindle Fire
6.  The Dutch House, Ann Patchett, Kindle Fire
7.  Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, hardback

Happy Reading!

This Poison Will Remain by Fred Vargas

There's a sensational story in the media in the South of France.  Three elderly men have died in recent weeks, all from the bite of the recluse spider.  How could that be?  The recluse spider is a loner, hiding in the most remote, darkest corners and its only interest in humans is to hide from them.  Moreover, unlike the American version, the recluse spider's bite is not that dangerous, definitely not life-threatening.  But the facts remain; three men, all dead, all bitten by a recluse in the days before their death.

Inspector Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg doesn't believe the hype.  He suspects that something more is going on.  After research, he discovers two things.  The men all knew each other; in fact, they grew up together in an orphanage.  Secondly, in order for a death by recluse venom, it would take scores of recluses all biting at one time in concert.  He knows that is not something that would have happened, so there must be something else going on.

Adamsberg has help tracking down the truth.  There are police in his department that would do anything, believe anything that Adamsberg says and they are as determined as he to find the truth.  There's an elderly lady  he meets who knows the victims and knows about recluses and even gives him a specimen.  There's a scientist in the local museum and a forensic psychologist who has ideas to move the investigation along.  But Adamsberg has obstacles also.  There is dissent in his own department with his right hand man opposed to his ideas.  There is an incident in his own background that keeps him from thinking clearly.  As the days go by, more victims are discovered.  Can Adamsberg discover the truth?

Fred Vargas is a French woman, born in Paris who is an archaeologist and historian.  Her background is seen clearly in her mysteries which are complex and draw on the past and science.  This is the seventh novel in the Adamsberg series.  Readers will be interested to see the differences in police procedure in France as opposed to the more familiar English and American police departments.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.



As the days go by, more victims are discovered.  Can Adamsberg find the truth?

In Our Mad And Furious City by Guy Gunaratne

In present day London, tensions are high after a police officer is killed on the street by a young man of color.  This novel follows the life of various characters in the aftermath of this occurrence.  Most live in public housing which is known as the estates and most are attempting to make a better life for themselves and for their families.

There is Selvon who is the athlete.  He has his eye on making the Olympic team and spends his days training, running, boxing, playing football with his friends.  His parents are Jamaican immigrants.  Caroline is a middle-aged woman who came to London from Ireland when her family got mixed up in IRA politics and sent her away to avoid any trouble.  Ardan is Caroline's son and is small and shy.  Few know that he is intensely interested in grime music, the next generation of hip hop or rap and has an amazing skill for generating songs.   Yusuf is Muslim.  His father was the Iman and moderate but was recently killed in a car accident.  The new Iman is strict and determined to bring all the members of his congregation under his control.  He has plans for Yusuf and his brother that Yusuf wants to avoid; he just wants to hang with his friends and go to school.  Finally, there is Nelson, Selvon's father who came to England as a young man and is caught up in the first racial tension with the bully boys who don't want anyone coming to their country if they are a different nationality or color or culture.

This is a vibrant, interesting novel.  The writing is fresh and brash and the reader will take a while to settle into the new words and phrases which are unfamiliar to them.  But the characters are real, struggling to make a life that is fulfilling and going about it in different ways.  Without preaching, the message comes through strongly that only by accepting others will we all move forward.  This book was longlisted for the Booker Prize and readers will be glad to be introduced to this fresh new voice.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Evil Beside Her by Kathryn Casey

The Bergstrom marriage was never a great one.  Linda was guilted by James into dating him and not breaking up.  When he joined the Navy and wanted to get married, Linda decided to go along.  Things weren't great in her family and maybe getting out of town was the right thing to do.  The two moved to Bangor, Washington where James was assigned to work on a Trident submarine. 

Things went from blah to bad.  James started to show a temper and was very possessive of Linda and her time.  They didn't have friends since James was jealous of everyone around her.  And he had started to ask her to do things she wasn't comfortable with; things like letting him tie her up in the bedroom.  At first just her hands, then her legs and a gag were added.  When she refused, James would storm out of the apartment.

Soon, Linda lived only for the months that James would be out on the Trident.  Those were months where she could have girlfriends, do whatever pleased her with her time and just relax.  Life with James was a lot of things but relaxing was never one of them.  Whenever James returned to land, the entire cycle of jealousy and possession started back up.  Soon there was physical violence added.

James left the service early at the Navy's request and the two moved back to Texas.  By now Linda realized she had married a very sick man and the rapes that started occurring whenever he was around were not happenstance.  How could she end the cycle of violence?

This case happened in the late 1980's and early 1990's.  I can only hope that the police would be more responsive in such a case now.  Linda told the police early and often of her suspicions of James.  Several of the police she talked with believed her but others either brushed her off or said she could not testify against him.  James managed to terrify women for months in several locations, raping some and attempting to rape others.  This book outlines the difficulty both of identifying and then prosecuting men like James, and is recommended for true crime readers.

Euphoria by Lily King

In the 1930's three young anthropologists meet in the wilds of New Guinea and never afterwards is the same.  Andrew Bankson is from England.  He has been in the field for several years, fleeing a home where there is no freedom and where both of his brothers have died.  He meets an American couple, Nell and Fen.  Fen he has met before for a short time in their academic careers.  Nell has already found fame with the publication of her first book.

Andrew is immediately smitten with Nell.  In his eyes, she is beautiful and wise and he is so taken back by his attraction to her that he can barely speak..  But Nell and Fen are married, as unlikely as their union seems.  They are very opposite characters, even in their work.  Nell likes to sit and observe, making copious notes about everything she sees; slowly evolving a worldview of the culture she is studying.  Fen becomes the culture; going out hunting with the men, disappearing for days on end and entering their rituals.  He has even indulged in their ceremony of cannibalism.  He is also envious of Nell's success and finds ways to sabotage her work.  He hides discoveries from her.  He breaks her thing; her glasses and her typewriter.  He is disparaging of her both personally and professionally.  Yet each still is tied to the other by attraction and love.

Fen and Nell are fleeing their lives with a tribe that turned dangerous for them.  Andrew helps them find another tribe to study, one that is close enough to his own tribe of study that he can visit.  Slowly, he works his way into their lives.  He finds it harder and harder to hide his interest in Nell and Fen knows that Nell is also attracted to him.  As a group, they make seminal discoveries and create structural guidelines that will rock their field of study.  But individually, none can see where these relationships will go or what the end result of their meeting will be.

This was a Best Book for such publications as NPR, New York Times Review, Time, the Guardian, Publisher's Weekly and others.  It was the winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize as well as a finalist for the National Book Award Critic's Circle Award.  It is loosely based on the life of Margaret Mead and her seminal work on the Pacific Tribes.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Bolton

Detective Inspector Mark Joesbury of the Scotland Yard Covert Operations Unit, has a new assignment.  He is working undercover to gain information about a terrorist group operating under the radar.  As he works his way into their confidence, he discovers that there is a plot to create havoc in the midst of London, on the Thames River.  The plot seems focused around Westminster Bridge and the House of Parliament.  The American President is soon to come on a state visit and it appears that the time frame will put the plot going into high gear then.

Mark is able to gain the terrorist's confidence due to his knowledge of the river having come from a family that grew up on it.  He knows boats inside and out and it appears that boats are a big part of the plan.  As the time grows closer, Mark still doesn't have details of the operation but the ante is upped when the gang manages to capture DC Lacey Flint.  Not only is she useful for propaganda purposes, but she is Mark's girlfriend.  Can he foil the plot and save Lacey?

The book is mislabeled on Amazon.  I bought it because I discovered Sharon Bolton this year and have loved the novels I've read.  The book was listed as 400 pages but in reality it is not a novel but a novella and is around 97 pages.  The crisp planning and intricate details that characterize Bolton's writing don't have a big enough frame to come into play in this shorter work.  I was disappointed in it and would only recommend it to those who understand going in that it is a novella. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alice Berenson loved her husband, Gabriel, totally and unreservedly.  They were a perfect match.  Gabriel was a society photographer and Alice painted so they shared the artistic viewpoint and understood the important of creation each needed in their lives.  They were both successful and Alice came from money so they lived in a gorgeous house and had everything material they desired.  Why then, did Alice wait one night and shoot Gabriel five times in the face?

Since the discovery of Gabriel's body, Alice has never spoken.  She had a long history of an unstable mind and even previous suicide attempts.  Most people thought it was bound to happen but no one knew what could have caused it that night.  Now, Alice has been in the hospital for over six years and has never once spoken a word

Theo Faber is a criminal psychologist and he finds himself fascinated with the case.  He has practiced for several years at Broadmoor so he knows the criminal mind.  He has devoured every word in the press about Alice and Gabriel and feels that somehow, he could find the key to unlock Alice's silence.  When a job opens at the private hospital where Alice resides, he jumps at the chance and is hired.  Can he convince Alice to speak?

This is the buzz book of the year in the mystery genre.  It is Michaelides's debut novel and to have one so successful is quite an achievement.  He studied at Cambridge and the Los Angles Institute of Screenwriting.  The book draws the reader in and the action is fast-paced enough to keep interest.  Few will expect or anticipate the novel's ending.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

This Far Isn't Far Enough by Lynn Sloan

In these fourteen short stories, Lynn Sloan invites the reader into her thoughts about life and delights and surprises them.  I don't read anthologies that often as they are often repetitive; each story showing another take on events that ends up being much like the story before and the story after.  That's not true of Sloan's work.  Each story stands on its own as a separate jewel, displaying a quirky twist that the reader rarely sees coming.

In Nature Rules, a woman who has withdrawn from life and all its demands on her is pulled back into her children's lives in a crisis.  In Near Miss, a painter must decide between his wife and a potential child and his freedom to pursue other women.  In Ollie's Back, a chef is trying to make a comeback after an investor ruined his restaurant.  These are just three of the stories but each is fresh and engaging.  This book is recommended for readers interested in choices made by individuals and the fallout from those decisions.

All's That's Dead by Stuart MacBride

It's back to work for Inspector Logan McRae.  He's been out on sick leave after his last case ended in him getting almost killed.  Seriously almost killed as in he's been off on sick leave for a year.  He returns hoping for a nice quiet entry back in but that's not likely in crime-ridden Scotland. 

The national past time these days is deciding if one is for or against Scotland leaving the Union and becoming a stand alone nation.  There is lots of rhetoric on both sides and things have been heating up.  Now someone is determined to make a point.  Proponents of staying in the Union are being kidnapped and mutilated; their body parts sent to various media outlets to publicize that the alt-right proponents of Scottish freedom are determined to punish those with differing opinions.

Logan is still in the equivalent of the Internal Affairs department, the price for being promoted.  The case is under the supervision of Detective King but he has his own problems.  Back when he was a teenager, he flirted with the alt-right faction to impress a girl and his secret is about to be exposed.  Due to the potential bad press, Logan is assigned to the case as well and not only will be working with King but his old boss, Detective Steel, who was demoted and sidekicks like Renny and Tufty.  Can they find the culprits before more men are killed?

This is the twelfth Logan McRae novel.  I love this series and anything Stuart MacBride writes is an automatic buy for me.  But the novels aren't for everyone as they are violent and there's a lot of black humor.  It's the kind of humor that lets someone work for the police where they are daily exposed to the worst that men can do.  The foibles of both the criminals and the police are on full display and those of sensitive natures may not enjoy this.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Witch Elm by Tana French

Toby has always led a charmed life.  Born into a wealthy family, good-looking with an easygoing personality that attracts others, he sailed through school and into an engaging first career job.  He has a gorgeous girlfriend who he's crazy about and good friends.  He has a solid background and a safety net most would envy.  He's got it all.

Until.  Until he gets into a scandal at work that could jeopardize his career.  Until he wakes up one night to discover burglars in his apartment and who leave him badly beaten and hospitalized.  As he recuperates, he realizes that he is worse off than most realize; his mind not as sharp and subject to nervous starts and fuzzy thinking.  Until he gets the news that his favorite uncle is dying.

Toby, after a family conference, moves in with his uncle, Hugo, who has reached a point where he shouldn't be left alone.  His girlfriend, Melissa, moves in as well and soon things seem to be turning out better than expected.  Both men have a safe place to deal with their physical issues and the company does them both good.  Until.  Until at a family party, Toby's nephew decides to climb a massive tree in the backyard and manages to dislodge something that incredibly, turns out to be a human skull.

Suddenly, all the progress comes to a halt.  The police are suddenly there, everywhere, and when it turns out that the body is someone the family knew, suspicious of them all.  Toby quizzes those around him and it slowly emerges that his memories of the past are not as accurate as he always thought and that he missed much of what was happening around him.  His very self-image is shaken as he starts to see the difference from his self-portrayal and the viewpoint of others.  Can the murderer be found before it tears the family apart?

Tana French has taken the mantle from Elizabeth George for lengthy mysteries that probe personalities and slowly reveal the evil that has remained hidden.  Her characters are memorable and the story is always plausible.  The novel was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018 and on the best of lists for such organizations as NPR, Lithub, Amazon, Slate, Vox and others.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

Booksie's Shelves, July 23, 2019

July is close to over and I'm finally back to a place where I can read, hopefully.  This summer has been one of family visits as we spent a lot of time with our four grandkids.  First we had the two girls, then two weeks later, all four grandkids, then two weeks later, the two boys.  It's wonderful to have the time to spend with the kids without parents and expectations; just a week of fun and expeditions and shared routines that are just ours.  But, there's not a lot of reading time!  I'm looking forward to recharging and spending more time reading.  Here's what's come through the door lately:

1.  Insidious Intent, Val McDermid, mystery, purchased
2.  Meeting The English, Kate Clanchy, literary fiction, purchased
3.  Pieces Of Her, Karin Slaughter, mystery, sent by publisher
4.  Sleeping In The Ground, Peter Robinson, purchased
5.  Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk, literary fiction, purchased
6.  Astounding, Alec Nevala-Lee, anthology, sent by publisher
7.  Rhyming Rings, David Gemmell, fantasy, purchased
8.  The Enchanted, Rene Denfeld, literary fiction, purchased
9.  Sarah Thornhill, Kate Grenville, literary fiction, purchased
10.  The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates, fantasy, sent by publisher
11.  The Bowness Bequest, Rebecca Tope, mystery, purchased
12.  The Sisters Chase, Sarah Healy, literary fiction, purchased
13.  The Dream Daughter, Diane Chamberlain, literary fiction, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Eye Of The World, Robert Jordan, audio
2.  The Witch Elm, Tana French, hardback
3.  The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides, hardback
4.  Quichotte, Salman Rushdie, Kindle Fire
5.  The Flight Attendant, Chris Bojalian, Kindle Fire
6.  Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, hardback
7.  Mostly Void, Partially Stars, Joseph Fink/Jeffrey Cranor, paperback
8.  All That's Dead, Stuart MacBride, Kindle Fire
9.  Evil Beside Her, Kathryn Casey, paperback
10.  This Far Isn't Far Enough, Lynn Sloan, paperback

Happy Reading!

Melmoth by Sarah Perry

Men have known of her for centuries.  Her existence is whispered about in cities and small villages worldwide.  She is Melmoth, the woman who witnesses sin.  Cursed by her own sin, she must forever wander the Earth, witnessing the sins of others, begging them to accompany her on her endless travels.  Has someone betrayed a neighbor during a war?  Melmoth is there.  Made a choice that ended in someone's death or destruction?  You can expect a visit from Melmoth.

Now, she is in Prague, witnessing the sins various people believed they have hidden forever.  There is Hoffman, who has a story of sin from Cairo.  Karel Prazan remembers his own earlier sins before he became a famous inventor and husband to his lovely wife.  Helen Franklin has lived punishing herself for twenty years for a sin in her early youth.  Then there is Prazan's wife, the elderly woman Helen rents a room from and the young health worker who suddenly appears in the Prazan's life.  All are due visits from Melmoth.

The main characters all meet in the Prague central library.  As their friendships progress, Hoffman shares the story of Melmoth with Prazan and he with Franklin.  Soon, each is aware of a shadowy figure, someone always just out of sight but always, inexorably there.  Watching.  Waiting.  To what end?

Sarah Perry burst onto the literary fiction stage with the release of her second novel, The Essex Serpent.  Fans of that novel will also enjoy Melmoth as it has the same genre of writing; that of a Victorian horror or suspense novel.  Melmoth creeps along the perimeter of the novel, only glimpsed but always present.  The reader will want to read on to discover the sins of the various characters and the resolution of this story.  This novel is recommended for literary fiction and horror readers.

The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

In the second of the cases of Anthony Horowitz and former Scotland Yard detective Daniel Hawthorne, the case seems fairly easy at first.  A prominent divorce lawyer, Richard Pryce, is found murdered in his house, bludgeoned and then stabbed with a very expensive bottle of wine.  Pryce had just finished a case where a billionaire real estate developer had divorced his wife, an author of obscure literary fiction novels.  She had come out on the losing side and had expressed her fury at Pryce by pouring wine over his head in a restaurant and stating that he should be glad it wasn't a bottle.  Now he has been murdered by that very method.

But is the novelist his only enemy?  Soon it is revealed that his husband has been having an affair, and Pryce was talking about changing his will.  It also emerges that Pryce and two school friends had been caught in a horrific caving accident six years before; an accident from which one of the men never emerged.  Is Pryce's death tied to this accident?  It turns out that the other survivor died the day before Pryce in suspicious circumstances also.

Hawthorne, of course, is being Hawthorne, refusing to tell Horowitz anything he thinks and delighting in keeping him in the dark.  That's usually just depressing but this time it's dangerous.  The detectives nominally in charge of the case are furious about Horowitz and Hawthorne being called in and are determined to take all the blame.  The women in charge targets Horowitz and demands he tell her everything they do.  She has the ability to cause havoc in Horowitz's professional life and he isn't sure what to do.  Can the crime be solved?

This is a delightful novel, an interesting change of pace from the usual detective series.  The interplay between Horowitz and Hawthorne is always interesting and the tidbits about Horowitz's life are fascinating; his TV series, his various novel series, etc.  Hawthorne is still very reserved about his personal life, but a few more details emerge in the novel.  The reader is left with a satisfying mystery and the hope that more cases in this series will appear.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

How To Read A Book by Kwame Alexander

In this book for toddlers and young readers, Kwame Alexander and Melissa Sweet have teamed up to make reading as enticing as could be.  The colors are vibrant and the patterns amazing, making the point that reading is a wonderful, fun activity for anyone to engage in.

Kwame Alexander has focused his authorship on creating books that encourage young readers.  He has won a John Newbery medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.  His work ranges from focusing on the youngest readers up to the young adult reader.  Whatever the audience, he touches the reader and makes them feel less alone in the world.

The illustrator for this book, Melissa Sweet, is famous in her own right.  She has won two Caldecott Awards for illustration and has written and written four books herself, while her career as an illustrator includes over 100 books.  She is also a New York Times Bestselling author.  Her vibrant use of color and patterns make this book inviting and one that will be requested over and over again.

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Eliza Benedict has a life she loves.   After several years in London, her husband has recently taken a job back in the States and the family has moved back to where Eliza grew up.  Eliza has her ideal life, being a wife and a mother to her two children. 

But all is not as wonderful as it seems on first glance.  Decades ago, when Eliza was fifteen and known as Elizabeth, a tragedy occurred that separated her family's life into before and after the event.  Elizabeth stumbled on a killer and he kidnapped her, knowing that she saw too much for him to let her go.  He kept her for several months and she grew to know Walter Bowman better than she knew anyone else in her life.  She was reunited with her parents after Walter killed one more girl and was caught.  Her testimony put him on death row, where he has remained for all these years.

Until now.  Suddenly all his appeals are exhausted and the entire nightmare is coming up again.  Eliza, who never has told anyone except her husband about the event, is shocked when she gets a letter from Walter, letting her know he knows exactly where she is.  What does he want?  He isn't the only one who wants things from Eliza.  There is a woman on Walter's side, his advocate, and she seems unbalanced and willing to do anything to get Eliza to fill Walter's requests.  There is the mother of the last victim, who resents Eliza for living and wants to be sure she doesn't do anything to help Walter.  The only person who isn't sure what they want is Eliza. 

Laura Lippman worked as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun before she started writing crime novels.  Her second career as a novelist has been a successful one, and she has won both the Edgar and the Anthony for her work.  Her novels center on the Baltimore area and she seamlessly gets into the heads of those women she writes about; women who face life and death dilemmas through no fault of their own.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Booksie's Shelves, June 30, 2019

It's halfway through the reading year!  So far, I've read 59 books this year.  My goal is 125 so I'll have to get busy to meet that.  My reading took a hit about six weeks ago when my husband retired.  He goes, goes, goes all day and doesn't understand that I usually spend a couple of hours just sitting and reading.  The other hit to my reading is an enjoyable one, being Nana Sandie.  We had the two grand girls for a week, next week my son and all four kids are coming and two weeks later, the two grandsons will be at Camp Nana and Papa.  I'm usually so tired by the end of the day that I fall into bed without getting my reading time.

I hadn't been getting that many books in the mail lately, but for some reason, this week was very different.  I got seven books in two days and six the week or so before.  Here's what's come through the door:

1.  A Good Neighborhood, Therese Anne Fowler, literary fiction, won in contest
2.  How To Read A Book, Kwame Alexander, children's literature, sent by publisher
3.  The Nanny, Gilly Macmillan, suspense, sent by publisher
4.  Out Of Darkness, Shining Light, Petina Gappah, literary fiction, won in contest
5.  Tell Me Who We Were, Kate McQuade, literary fiction, sent by publisher
6.  After The Flood, Kassandra Montag, literary fiction, sent by publisher
7.  Eagle And Crane, Suzanne Rindell, historical fiction, sent by publisher
8.  Grand Union, Zadie Smith, anthology, won in contest
9.  The Dearly Beloved, Cara Wall, literary fiction, sent by publisher
10.  Protect The Prince, Jennifer Estep, fantasy, sent by publisher
11.  Home For Erring And Outcast Girls, Julie Kibler, historical fiction, won in contest
12.  Dominicana, Angie Cruz, literary fiction, won in contest
13.  The Orphan's Song, Lauren Kate, literary fiction, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Eye Of The World, Robert Jordan, audio
2.  The Witch Elm, Tana French, hardback
3.  The Sentence Is Death, Anthony Horowitz, hardback
4.  Quichotte, Salman Rushdie, Kindle Fire
5.  The Flight Attendant, Chris Bojalian, Kindle Fire
6.  Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, hardback
7.  Mostly Void, Partially Stars, Joseph Fink/Jeffrey Cranor, paperback
8.  All That's Dead, Stuart MacBride, Kindle Fire

Happy Reading!

Lost And Wanted by Nell Freudenberger

Helen Clapp is one of the most prominent figures in physics; her work on five-dimensional time has garnered her fame and a tenured professorship at MIT.  In addition to her scholarly work, she has written a series of books about various physics topics aimed at the more popular market that has brought her more notoriety and money.  Helen is single but has an eight-year old son named Jack; a son she had herself through a donor program.  She doesn't have a romantic interest at the moment; her best friend, former lover and co-worker has moved to Texas to work on the supercollider there.

As the novel opens, Helen receives word that her best friend, Charlie (short for Charlotte) has died.  Charlies had lupus and has chosen to end her own life rather than wait for the indignities that would come with a protracted end of life.  Helen isn't sure how she feels about this as she and Charlie had lost touch a bit in the last years as life got busy for each of them and Charlie and her family were in California rather than the East Coast.

Now, Helen has to deal with several issues.  There is the grief she feels for the loss of Charlie.  Charlie's husband and daughter are in Massachusetts with Charlie's parents for a while and then come to stay in the apartment Helen rents out.  Her former lover also returns to her area, but with a fiance/wife firmly in tow.  Helen is left to work out what her life has meant to this point and where she wants to go in the future.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Buried On The Fens by Joy Ellis

Detective Nikki Galena and her team are investigating two murders in their area.  The first was the vicious murder of a prominent local businesswoman; a brutal murder with no real clues left behind.  While investigating that, the team gets a report of another body found but this one is much different.  While getting ready to renovate the local church, a body is discovered in the graveyard.  This burial was unauthorized and the body is about thirty years old.

The body is identified as a man from the village of Quentin Eaudyke, a man missing for twenty years and a man hated by his neighbors.  Gerald Hammond, the victim, was suspected of being the man who terrorized and abused several local children, and then was later suspected of killing and hiding the boy of his own child, a daughter.  No one cared when he went missing and it was assumed he drowned and his body washed out to sea.  Now the story is revealed that he was himself murdered and hidden away.

As the investigation proceeds, the businesswoman was found to be a member of a local private club, one made up of women who came together both for business networking and because they were lesbians.  The group was kept under the radar due to the prejudice gay women still encountered.  The daughter of a member is the next woman to be murdered and the police become focused on the club.  As they investigate, the two murder inquiries start to blend and it becomes apparent that the same person is involved in both.  Apparently, the murdered is not through and it becomes a race against time.  Will the police solve the case before more murders occur?

This is the seventh novel in the Nikki Galena series.  Galena has mellowed over time, having put to rest many of her own personal demons.  She has built a strong team who work well together and whose talents merge nicely.  Readers will enjoy watching the team solve another case and the interplay between the team members.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Flannery O'Connor The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

This extensive collection brings together all the stories of Flannery O'Connor.  Those who follow literature are familiar with her name and possibly her story.  She was born and raised in Georgia; her life spanning from the late 1920's to the mid 1960-s.  She got her MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop where she made connections such as Robert Penn Warren and Andrew Lytle, who was the editor of the Sewanee Review, an important showcase for literature.  After she was diagnosed with the lupus that killed her father, she moved back to Georgia where she lived and worked until her death. 

O'Connor is known for her short stories and readers will be familiar with the titles of many of these such as A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Everything That Rises Must Converge  and The Lame Shall Enter First.  The central issue of O'Connor's life was her Catholic faith and the stories are based in that although they are not overtly religious.  Instead, they are a reflection of the way humanity was perceived by O'Connor and then twisted to an extreme to make a point.  The characters are often grotesque and rarely does anything positive or even stable happen to them.  Instead, the stories tend to end on a negative note where hopes are dashed and everything is doomed.  They focus on the worst in human nature and racism and evil are a major focus.

O'Connor is considered an important writer and I'm glad to have finally gotten around to reading her work.  However, I was surprised to find that I didn't care for them much if at all.  I'm a very optimistic person and reading such negative work that constantly focuses on racial epitaphs and assuming a common viewpoint that other races are less than the ones in power gets overwhelming quickly.  Every story ends on a negative note and this collection took me many weeks to read as I had to have spacing between the stories.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon gives readers an alternative history in this novel.  The premise is that in 1948, countries around the world designated areas specifically for Jewish refugees.  The United States's Jewish portion is Sitka, Alaska, and the refugees have been there for several decades.  Now, due to bureaucratic red tape, the program has been discontinued and the Yiddish community will lose their lands in two months.  There is much dismay and families are planning their futures; many relocating to other countries.

Meyer Landsman is making no plans.  He is a policeman in a department that will be out of business in two months.  His superiors only want him to close his open cases, no matter how or if the right solution has been found.  Meyer is a natural detective but he's been on a low for several years since his wife, Bina, left him.  Now he spends his days drinking and doing as little as he can.

But perhaps its time for a change.  A man is killer; shot in the same hotel where Meyer has been living.  Although Landsman is told not to worry too much about it, he is offended that the man, for whom he has a fellow feeling, would not get justice.  As he works the case, he realizes that the victim is a famous man within the Yiddish community.  The son of the most powerful rabbi, he was considered a genius and miracle worker as a boy.  The pressure was too great and he ran away, ending his life as an addict in a run down hotel.  Landsman wants something better for him.

The case gets more complicated.  Landsman gets a new boss to oversee the shutdown of the department, and horror of horrors, it is his ex-wife.  His partner, who is his cousin, is Berko, a large half Indian, half Jewish man who just wants to get along.  Landsman uncovers layers of intrigue in the Yiddish community with a group of fanatics who want to reclaim their hero to help them take back Jerusalem.  Can Landsman bring justice in this last case?

I'm a huge fan of Michael Chabon and have read several of his  novels.   This novel won the 2008 Huge Award for Best Novel, due to its alternative history setting.  It can also be read as a mystery in the noir category, or for the exploration of Jewish culture.  The reader will cheer on Landsman as he fights for justice against all odds.  This book is recommended for literary fiction as well as mystery and sci fi readers.

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

Moon is a shape shifter.  For many years, he has wandered solitary, never finding anyone else like himself.  He has lived with various communities over the years but always ends up sent away as he doesn't fit in.  He can fly and the creatures called The Fell also fly so many communities push away anyone they suspect could be part of that despicable, war-mongering crowd.

As the novel opens, Moon has once again been pushed out of a community.  The woman he lived with saw him shifting shapes one night and poisons him, rendering him unconscious so that the warriors of the tribe can gather and chain him up in the forest.  As he tries to determine what to do, he is suddenly rescued by a large flying creature.  Stone is a shape shifter as well and he is the first creature like Moon that Moon has ever met.  Stone can fill in some of the holes in Moon's understanding of his background and invites him to come with him to his clan.

Moon agrees but when he arrives, is not sure he made the right decision.  He is amazed and pleased to find so many other creatures like him but all is not rosy.  He has arrived just as the colony is facing a threat to their very existence; The Fell have discovered them and will soon try to destroy them as they have so many other communities.  Even within the colony, there are those who welcome Moon and those who adamantly do not; jealous of the attention he is given by the queens of the colony.  What will the future bring for Moon?

This is the first book of the Raksura series by Wells.  She has created a fearsome enemy in The Fell, a tribe that seems to delight in nothing but violence and indiscriminate killing.  Moon is a character clouded in mystery as he lost his family as a youngster and doesn't know his own history or that of his people.  The reader will be inclined to read further to determine what happens in this new world.  This book is recommended for fantasy/sci fi readers.

Sunday Silence by Nicci French

Dr. Frieda Klein is a psychologist.  Her gifts have helped many people, including the police in several crime investigations but there is a huge segment of the police who consider her a fraud.  Freida was mixed up in the hunt for a serial killer, Dean Reeve seven years ago.  The police believe that Dean died at the end of that investigation.  Freida knows he didn't but can't convince those who think she is just imagining that he is still alive.

For seven years, Freida has felt Dean in the shadows, watching over her and occasionally protecting her.  It seems that he has decided that no one can harm her except himself, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to assert his superiority.  Now, a body has been discovered under the floorboards of Freida's house.  It is the body of a police officer who believed her and was tracking Dean down. 

As the weeks go on, it appears that Dean is tipping over into hostility.  Freida is still not personally attacked, but those around her she cares about are targeted.  Her niece, her sister-in-law, her mentor and friend, a former student, an immigrant and his son, all feel the wrath of the unseen monster.  Yet as the weeks go on, it appears that this may not be Dean's work at all.  Does he have a copycat or a rival?

This is the seventh Freida Klein novel and the suspense that characterizes the series is in top form in this edition.  Freida must decide how to catch the killer in the shadows and what she must do in order to protect those she loves.  The reader will go along on the nerve-wracking journey that surrounds Freida and cheer her on as she fights back against the evil surrounding her.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Joe Talbert is not crazy about the English assignment he's been given.  It's a semester long assignment and he has to write a memoir of someone's life.  Joe has enough on his plate.  Money is desperately tight so he is always scrimping and saving so that he can afford college on his own, working nights as a bouncer in a bar and never knowing when he will get called back home.  Home is an erratic mother who is promiscuous and a partier, who will go out of town with a boyfriend and leave Joe's autistic brother, Jeremy, to fend for himself.

But an assignment is an assignment so he heads to a local nursing home to interview his subject.  He has been given Carl Iverson.  Joe is shocked to find out that Carl has just been released from prison after many years as he is in the last stages of cancer and the state has decided he can die in the nursing home.  He was imprisoned for raping and killing a young teenage girl.  Joe is loath to meet him but finds him not as intimidating as he feared.  Instead he is a sick old man but one who, as Joe delves into his story, may be innocent of the crime he has served his life in jail for.

As Joe starts to suspect that Carl was framed, things begin to happen.  Most of the girl's family and friends still live in town and none of them are pleased that the story is being looked at again.  As Joe gets closer to the truth, he becomes a danger to the true killer.  Will he find out the truth before someone puts an end to him?

This is a debut novel and a very strong one.  Joe is a likeable protagonist; his social conscience and his determination to make the world a better place are strong characteristics.  Joe's love for his brother and his refusal to cast him aside make for a good secondary plotline, as does his budding romance with the girl down the hall.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Bloodshot by Stuart MacBride

Things don't get easier for Aberdeen's Detective Sergeant Logan McRae.  He's working three cases, any of which could drive a sane man mad.  There's the porn star, dropped off at death's door at the hospital where he promptly died.  There's the open and shut case of a pensioner stabbed to death in a robbery by an eight year who leads a shoplifting/robbery gang.  Then there's the case of Robbie Macintyre.

Robbie is the star of the local football club and a media darling.  The tv and papers idolize him for his prowess on the field and his showy lifestyle with his mansion, high end cars and flashy women.  There's only one problem; Aberdeen police are convinced he's the rapist that is targeting women alone at night, each incident getting more vicious.  McRae's girlfriend, Jackie Watson, takes Macintyre down disguised as a potential victim.  But Hissing Sid, Aberdeen's pre-eminant lawyer, gets Macintyre released and expects an apology for the outrage of charging him.

Making matters even worse are McRae's boss.  Detective Inspector Roberta Steel is the talk of the station for her wild ways and inclination to have her subordinates do her job.  With the Macintyre debacle, DI Insch is in disgrace and put under Steel temporarily, not a mood inclined to improve his mood.  McRae is loaned out to Insch, but it's not like Steel is letting him go.  Now he has two demanding DI's to work for.

This is the third novel in the popular Logan McRae series.  The action is fast and furious, coupled with a dark sense of humor typical of Scottish writing.  Logan is a good guy, forever put down by circumstances but finding a way to get his job done regardless of circumstance.  The various plot lines resolve successfully and satisfactorily as the reader ends another tale of Aberdeen policing, eager for the next.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

In Her Bones by Kate Moretti

Edie Beckett is trying to live under the radar, not an easy task when you are the daughter of Lilith Wade.  Lilith is famous for being one of the few female serial killers.  She stabbed six people to death over a period of a few years while Edie and her brother, Dylan, were teenagers.  Everyone knows about Lilith and no one believes Edie didn't know what was going on.  But Edie's father made sure of that.  He knew Lilith had major mental issues so the children lived with him only visiting Lilith when their father thought she was stable. 

A recent tell-all book about Lilith is making her story a big hit again.  Edie works a dead end job as she tries to live her life quietly.  She has had issues with alcohol and is trying to make a go of things.  Secretly, she spends hours tracking the surviving families of Lilith's victims.  Edie isn't sure why she is so obsessed with these people, but they are her major interest in life.

Things take a horrific turn one evening.  Edie meets one of the survivors in a bar; his wife was Lilith's last victim.  Somehow she finds herself heading home with him and spending the night in his apartment.  She leaves early the next morning already regretting the night before.  Imagine her regret and shock when it turns out that he is killed immediately after she leaves and of course Edie is the prime suspect.  She immediately goes underground, determined to find the real killer while the police are searching for her.  Can she overcome her background to save her life?

Kate Moretti has written a suspenseful tale that allows the reader to imagine the life Edie lives as the daughter of an infamous mother.  The reader can't help but pull for Edie, even as she continues to make mistakes that seem to steer her further and further from the normality she craves.  The surrounding characters are interesting as well; the brother who has married and has a child now, the police detective who has a fatherly feeling for Edie and the man who loves her no matter what she does to push him away.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.