Mr. Monk Helps Himself by Hy Conrad

Fans of the TV show Monk will be thrilled to read another of his adventures in Hy Conrad's latest novel, Mr. Monk Helps Himself.  In this one, Monk's assistant, Natalie, has decided its time to make a name for herself.  She is about to take the private investigator's exam and when she gets her license, she and Monk will form a partnership where they will be peers instead of him always calling the shots.

But events get in the way.  One of Natalie's heroes, self-help guru Miranda Bigley, commits suicide publicly in front of her audience.  Natalie is sure it can't really be suicide, since that is opposed to everything Miranda taught, but everyone else thinks Natalie just can't face the truth.  Monk won't help her as he is involved in a case with the police.  A clown has been killed.  Clowns are high on Monk's list of his top one hundred phobias, so he is determined not to engage, but the police are adamant.  Monk determines the clown was involved in some dirty dealings that probably led to his death, but continues to try to avoid the scene or anything having to do with the victim.

Hy Conrad has written an engaging, lively mystery that falls on the cozy end of the mystery genre, one of the reasons the TV show enjoyed its huge success.  Monk's obsessions and foibles are front and center, and readers will enjoy the interplay in the relationship between him and Natalie.  The mysteries are satisfactorily solved, with the logic so plain to Monk and so hidden from others.  Hy Conrad was one of the original writers on the TV series, staying all eight years of the show's run and serving as coexecutive producer for the last two.  No one could write a more valid Monk mystery than Conrad.  This book is recommended for mystery readers and fans of the TV show.

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

When Pandora goes to pick up her brother, Edison, for a visit, she doesn't recognize him when she sees him at the airport. Edison has put on several hundred pounds since she saw him and is obese. Pandora knew he was down on his luck; that's the purpose of this visit, to give him time to regroup as well as time for them to catch up. But she had no idea about the weight gain or the changes in Edison's personality that the weight had made.

Edison is a jazz pianist, or as Pandora finds out, was a jazz pianist. Her husband, Fletcher, is not happy with the visit. He makes high end furniture and is a food fanatic; one of those people who watches every bite he puts in his mouth and is prone to fad diets; gluten free this week, a raw diet next week. He is totally repulsed by Edison, even more as Edison cooks huge meals, uses up all the food in the house and expects handouts. After two months, Fletcher puts down his foot. Pandora must put Edison back on the plane to New York if she wants to maintain their marriage.

But Pandora sees someone in need, someone who needs her more than Fletcher and her two stepchildren. She makes a deal with Edison. She will move in with him into an apartment and together they will go on diets. She estimates that it will take Edison a year to lose the extra weight and is willing to keep up this lifestyle for that period of time.

Lionel Shriver has linked into the issues that we all have surrounding weight. The obese are easy targets, and sometimes feel that they are the last minority group it is safe to discriminate against. She also covers the issues of body image, family relationships, and what one will do for a family member. She covers all the diets and the realization by one who loses a great deal of weight that it is an accomplishment, but not one that can make a life. Readers will find this a thought-provoking read that will make them examine their own attitudes about weight and self-image. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in family relationships.

Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins

In Battleborn, Claire Vaye Watkins shares the West with readers.  This is not the West of glitz and glamour.  It is the West of the desert, of unrequited longings, of lives that just don't seem to go anywhere.  It is the West where people must be strong to survive, but survival doesn't always mean successful.

There are ten stories.  The locales differ, but all have ties to the West, especially the desert.  There is a story about two brothers who are caught up in the Gold Rush.  Another is about a man who manages a brothel in Nevada, and the boy who comes there every day while he waits to see if his friend who is lost in the desert is rescued.  Two sisters fight the residual effects of their mother's suicide, trying to carve out lives for themselves that rise above her despair.  Three friends visit Virginia City as they decide what their friendship means and if it will endure.

One of the most chilling stories is the first, called "Ghosts, Cowboys".  It tells the story of George Spahn, a farmer from Pennsylvania who came to California and bought a farm that was used by many of the famous Western movies as a movie set.  After it fell out of favor, Spahn let a group of hippies who followed a leader called Charles Manson move in.  The rest of the story is well known, the crimes the Manson family committed iconic features of the seventies.  Paul Watkins was Claire Vaye Watkins's biological father, although she was raised by an adopted family.  He was also one of Manson's main followers his role recruiting teenage girls to join the cult.  The knowledge of what he did influenced her life, as it would any of us.

Readers will long remember the stories in this novel.  Watkins writes fiercely, telling the story of those who dare to have the strength to survive and the mechanisms they employ to do so.  She also tells the stories of those who fall by the wayside, not able to overcome the blows of fate that come their way.  This book is recommended for readers who enjoy short stories, and those who are interested in fresh new voices that will be influential for many years to come.

Fiji by Lance and James Morcan

The year is 1848, and a ship is making its way to the land of Fiji.  On board are two missionaries, Susannah Drake and her father, determined to bring the word of God to the Fiji natives.  Nathan Johnson is also on board bound for Fiji, but his purpose is not to save the natives but to trick them into trading him goods that will make him immensely rich.  Nathan has had to make his own way in the world and he has learned to look out for number one.  He is attracted to Susannah, but her father finds him crass and shelters his daughter from Nathan.

When the ship arrives in Momi Bay, the missionaries move into the mission house built by the missionaries they are replacing, while Nathan goes to the tribe's village to strike a deal.  He is pleased to get the terms he wants, trading muskets to the natives in return for sea slugs, a delicacy he plans to sell in China for a large profit.  While dealing with the natives, he finds himself trapped in the village when the Qopa tribes' enemies, the Outcasts, attack.  The Outcasts are just that, escaped slaves and those who have committed crimes against the tribe.  They are headed by Rambuka, a son of the Qopa chieftain who was shunned for attempting to kill his brother so that he could become the chief one day.

With Nathan's help and that of his muskets, the Qopa managed to repel the Outcasts, but not without losses.  The chief is killed, and the new chief, Joeli, vows revenge on his half-brother, Rambuka.  Nathan is also injured and as he is nursed back to health by Susannah, his feelings for her, and hers for him, grow, although neither is willing to admit to their love.  Suddenly, tragedy strikes again.  Rambuka stages a raid and kidnaps Susannah.  He has already kidnapped many tribal women and a band of Qopa and Nathan are determined to track them down and rescue the women.  Can they find their women before they are killed by the Outcasts?

Lance and James Morcan have written a stirring adventure.  Their research into the customs of the Fiji culture are evident.  There is cannibalism, firewalking, shark calling, amazing hairstyles, and tribal warfare techniques.  The clash of the native and English cultures is strange at first, but the men of each culture come to appreciate each other.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction and those interested in how the island cultures handled life.

Love And Lament by John Milliken Thompson

Life is difficult in rural North Carolina in the years between the Civil War and the first World War.  People worked hard and didn’t have the material things that are taken for granted in modern life.  Families were large and people didn’t travel that much so family reigned supreme.  But change was coming.  These were the years that electricity started to be used, that cars started to jostle horses for dominance on the roads.  Indoor plumbing was another major step forward, and the economy was moving from that of agriculture to commerce and industry.  

 

John Milliken Thompson’s Love And Lament details the life of the Hartsoe family in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in these years.  The Hartsoes were one of the major families in the region; it’s men Civil War heroes.  Cicero Hartsoe came back to Haw County and ran a store.  He and his wife had nine children.  Life was hard but family was a recompense from God for the difficulties encountered.   
 

But the Hartsoe family seemed marked out for tragedy.  Mary Bet, the youngest, watches hopelessly as one by one, all her brothers and sisters are taken.  Some die from diseases that would be easily cured today, some in accidents.  By the time she is twenty, Mary Bet finds herself alone in the world, her only surviving parent in a hospital for life while she is left to make her way in the world. 
 

Mary Bet is an interesting character.  Although haunted by her family history, she manages to carve out a life for herself.  She moves and finds a job, living in boarding houses and then with roommates.  As the years go on, she is unsure if she will ever have another family, one of her own.  But regardless, she moves on and finds value in the life she is given to live. 
 

This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.  It is difficult for most people to imagine how different life in our country was just a hundred years ago, how isolated people were due to the difficulty of transportation and how reliant on family and friends each individual was.  For women to carve out a separate life for themselves in this environment was a definite show of character.  The reader will remember Mary Bet Hartsoe long after the last page is turned.

River Thieves by Michael Crummey

The year is 1810 and life in Newfoundland is not easy.  It is populated by the fishermen and trappers who have settled there, and by the native Americans whose land it was before they came.  One of the most prominent families are the Peytons.  Peyton Senior has trapped and fished for many years.  He left his family life in England behind to make a life in this new country.  His son, John, is now grown and taking over the family businesses.  They also have a housekeeper, Cassie, who came as John's tutor and stayed after he grew up.

The British military is concerned about relations with the Native Americans.  There have been incidents on both sides; the Indians stealing items from the frontiersmen to discourage them, and retaliation that leads to violence.  The government decides to try to contact the remaining Indians and try to create a relationship with them.  In order to do so, they need the help of the men who are involved in the strife between the two groups. 

The novel details the lonely, difficult life each group leads while trying to survive in a bleak environment.  Communication is strained, and the results are more incidents as each group tries to emerge as the stronger.  A group of trappers mount an expedition into Indian territory and bring back a female captive.  What occurs on the expedition and the government's response to it will have far-reaching consequences.

Michael Crummey has written a fascinating historical fiction about life in a part of the North American continent many don't know that much about.  River Thieves is his first novel and is a winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award.  It was also a finalist for the Giller Prize, The Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Books In Canada First Novel Award.  Readers will learn about Newfoundland and the people who settled there from England and France.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

Bones by Jonathan Kellerman

A teen doing community service at the marsh gets the call.  The caller says there is a body in the marsh, and indeed there is.  Selena Bass, a local musician, whose main gig these days is teaching a genius child of a multi-millionaire.  Milo gets the call and goes to the scene, but calls in his friend, psychologist Alex Delaware.

By the next day, things have gotten worse.  Not only is Selena's body in the marsh, but so are the bodies of three other women.  All killed the same way, all buried facing the east, all missing their right hands.  Someone has found a game to play and is using the marsh as their private playground.

Milo and Alex start to work the case.  They have a new cop working with them, Jack Reed.  Milo teaches him the basics of investigation as well as the politics of getting along and getting things done in a big city police force.  There are plenty of suspects to work on.  There's the environmentalist who seems to regard the marsh as his private property and would prefer if no human beings ever came there to disturb the local birds and environment.  There's a caretaker at the millionaire's house who seems a bit off, a bit worried by a police inquiry.  It turns out that Selena may have been mixed up in some offbeat pursuits of her own.  Can Milo and Alex solve this case before anyone else gets hurt?

This is the 23rd Alex Delaware mystery written by Jonathan Kellerman.  Readers will quickly see why he is considered in the top echelon of mystery writers.  Kellerman's own background as a clinical psychologist makes the medical theories ring true, and he knows how to racket up the suspense as few other authors can.  This book is recommended for mystery fans.

The Time Traveler's Guide To Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer

In this meticulously researched and eminently readable book, historian Ian Mortimer takes the reader on an exhaustive tour of all the facets of life in Elizabethan England.  There are twelve chapters on such topics as the landscape, the people, religion, character, basic essentials, what to sear, traveling, where to stay, what to eat and drink, hygiene, illness and medicine, law and disorder and entertainment.  Following these chapters is an extensive section of notes with further explanations and details of research material.

While the history is sound and well-researched, the reader will be delighted to gain such extensive knowledge in such well-presented, easy to read and understand prose.  The author understands how to keep the reader's interest and each chapter is full of tidbits the reader will take away.  For example, the average man in these times was 5' 7", and even the animals were on this smaller scale with an average sheep being only 45 pounds as opposed to several hundred these days.  Elizabeth loved hunting and animal baiting.  Shakespeare was the son of a glovemaker and grew up in a stinky tannery.  Mortimer covers the historical discoveries, the role that religion played, how people were kept in order, the explorations, the battles and loyalties, and many other topics. 

Ian Mortimer has BA, PhD and DLitt degrees in history from Exeter University and an MA in archive studies from University College London.  He was elected a Fellow Of the Royal Historical Society in 1998, and was awarded the Alexander Prize (2004) by the Royal Historical Society. (book jacket).  His full name is Ian James Forrester Mortimer and is the author of several popular novels based in this time period, including one reviewed here recently, The Roots Of Betrayal. 

This book is recommended to two categories of readers.  History lovers will be pleased with the intricate detail and well-researched material contained here.  Historical fiction readers will be interested to see how well the novels they read match with the everyday reality of life in this time period.  This book is highly recommended for both groups.

Lookaway, Lookaway by Wilton Barnhardt

Duke and Jerene Johnston are the best of the best society has to offer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke is a Southern gentleman, a lawyer and former city councilman known for his relation to the famous Civil War general who spared North Carolina from Sherman's March To The Sea. Jerene is an old style Southern lady, the kind who puts on a designer dress and full makeup to go outside to pick up the newspaper and who has iron control of her emotions. She is the head of the Jarvis Trust, an organization set up to safeguard the art her family brought to Charlotte and donated to the museum.

They have four children. Annie is the rebel, a real estate broker who is riding high on the real estate boom. Bo is the first son with all that means in a Southern family; after a successful high school and college career, he has become the pastor of a Presbyterian church in nearby Stallings. Joshua is the gorgeous one, a clothes salesman who doesn't have career aspirations and is gay, although that is never discussed at family gatherings. Jerilyn is the baby of the family, and determined to win her mother's approval, whatever that takes.

Barnhardt sets up this family as what seems from the outside to be a successful group who have it all, then methodically peels aside the family deceptions and oversights to reveal the secrets that have been kept, sometimes for decades. The book is laid out in biographical chapters, one devoted to each character. In it, all secrets are revealed as are the relationships that keep the family going. The writing is humorous, tragic, surprising and magnificent as the family and the Southern society they live in are stripped for all to see.

Wilton Barnhardt is a faculty member in the Creative Writing program at North Carolina State University and knows his material well. Residents of the area will nod their head in recognition of the characters and the culture he depicts. The reader will be entranced, reluctant to get off the wild wonderful ride that he has created. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and Southern fiction fans.

Prophecy by R.T. Kaelin

Fans of R.T. Kaelin's novel, Progeny, (count Booksie's Blog among the biggest fans), will be excited to read the second installment in the chronicle of Terrene and the battle between the gods that control it.  The god of Chaos has decided to take over the land, and has gathered several gods to work with him.  Opposing him are the gods who strive for balance.  Both groups use the mortals of Terrene to work out their conflicts.

Key to the battle are the champions of Terrene, the White Lions.  They were instrumental in saving the world the last time the gods collided.  A prophecy says that when needed, the original White Lions and their children, The Progeny, will reunite and fight again.  The characters from the first novel in the series, Nik and Kenders, are back.  In the first book, they found that they were progeny.  In this second one, they begin to come into their legacy and develop the skills and abilities that will help them in the immense battles to come.  They are accompanied by their adoptive brother, Jak, and other characters, such as Sabine and Helene, girls they saved in the last tale, and others who fought with them.

Of course, they have the White Lion at their side.  Broedi, a giant hillsman, was their guide, the man who taught them what they were and started their training.  In this book, we meet some of the other surviving White Lions.  There is Tobias, whose gift is visions of the future, and Wren, who can speak with nature.  We also meet new allies of different races.  Klin is an Acadian, who is a master of the magic strands and becomes Kender's main teacher.  Okollu is a mongrel, a half-man, half-wolf.  His race is part of the Sudashian army committed to winning Terrene for the god of Chaos, but he becomes an ally of the opposing side instead.

The war rages on, with the outcome uncertain.   The forces of good are vastly outnumbered and very late to the game.  The forces of evil have been making their plans for months and are ready for battle.  Each side has advantages and weaknesses.  Alliances are made and broken, loyalties and strategies change daily.  In the midst of war, family relations remain strong and even love finds a way to break through.  Which side has the strongest weapons and the best chance of survival?

Kaelin has successfully moved the story of The White Lions and their Progeny forward in The Prophecy.  The characters are developed more fully while more of the background to the world of Terrene is explored and explained.  The web of connections is intricate and the new characters and races are skillfully introduced.  Under it all, the beat of coming war and disaster is always felt, impelling the storyline forward.  This book is recommended for fantasy fans who will be left waiting impatiently for the third and concluding volume in this series.  This novel is another masterful job by R. T. Kaelin, who is gaining a name as a fantasy author to be aware of. 

Down And Out In Beverly Heels by Kathryn Leigh Scott

A year ago, Meg Barnes had it all.  Veteran of a hit TV series, she had a lovely home in Los Angeles, cars, designer clothes, and a new husband, Paul, she loved immensely.  But what a difference a year makes.  Paul calls her one day and tells her he has been kidnapped and to pay the ransom when she gets instructions.  She sends everything she owns but Paul is not returned.  Then the truth starts to emerge.  Paul is a con man, and he has taken not only all of Meg's money but that of her friends and anyone else he could convince to invest in his real estate schemes.

Meg leaves town, but is now back, trying to get reestablished in her life.  She has no home, no possessions, and is determined to not let anyone else know how desperate she is financially.  She is living in her car, showering at her gym, getting meals by volunteering at Meals on Wheels.  She finally lands a new acting job, and things start to get better in a small way.  The worst part is that those who know her seem to suspect that she was in on Paul's plans and not a victim herself.  Even her lawyer, Sid and his wife Carol, her best friend in LA, seem to be suspicious of what Meg might know.  Sid brings in a FBI agent, Jack Mitchell, who also seems to think Meg is no innocent in what has occurred.

Meg decides that in order to clear her name and get her life back, she needs to find Paul.  There are clues around that she starts to follow, and in turn, she realizes that she is being followed by some shady characters.  Meg and her new friend, Donna, become detectives and try to locate Paul and bring him to justice. Can they find him before everything explodes?

Kathryn Leigh Scott has written a sprightly mystery which would be characterized as a cozy mystery.  She knows the world she writes about, the backlots and acting stages of L.A., having been on the series Dark Shadows herself.  The reader is treated to an inside look at the acting industry as well as the way a resourceful woman can survive without money.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Birdman by Mo Hayder

Detective Inspector Jack Caffery has just caught his first murder in his new posting.  A young girl has been found buried on a construction site.  At first, it's believed it might be a medical student's prank gone wrong, as Jack is told the body has been autopsied.  However, this was no professional autopsy but one of butchery.  The corpse is made up heavily just like a doll, and the body was mutilated in addition to the autopsy.

Things get worse.  By the next day, four more bodies are found on the site.  Jack has definite ideas about the killer, but not everyone in the department shares his ideas.  There are those who want this to be an easy case, perhaps a drug deal gone wrong.  Instead, it is what every department fears, a case of tracking down a serial sexual sadist. 

Jack has personal issues to work through in addition to his professional ones.  He is haunted by his childhood and a trauma that occurred then.  He is currently attempting to extradite himself from a romantic relationship that isn't going anywhere, and he also finds himself attracted to a witness in the case.  Can he put aside his personal feelings and catch the killer before he strikes again?

Mo Hayder has written a fascinating murder mystery.  The details are grisly, and this book is not for the fainthearted.  Still, Caffery is a fascinating character, and the unfolding of the mystery will have the reader guessing over and over again as the story winds and twists into surprising locations.  The reader will finish this book ready for more of Caffery's story in later novels.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Essential Nourishment by Markia Blossfeldt

 

Essential Nourishment is subtitled Recipes From My Estonian Farm.  The author has written the book to provide healthy recipes but also to educate the reader about the benefits of healthy eating and how to integrate food into a healthy lifestyle.  Some of the author's goals for the book include:

 

• eat more foods that come straight from Mother Earth
• find and choose locally grown and raised food
• cook meals at home with ease
• reduce your intake of factory-made, processed food
• learn to savor naturally sweet foods
• cut back on refined sugar and flour without giving up flavor
• incorporate healthful oils and fats into your diet
• avoid refined and hydrogenated oils
• enjoy plenty of pure water

The book is filled with tons of visually appealing photographs.  Each recipe has a color photograph of the finished dish, and there is artwork sprinkled liberally throughout the text.  The photographs are by Jaan Heinmaa and the original artwork is done by the author.

 

The book begins with lessons in nutrition and lifestyle changes.  There is a chapter called Nutrition And Nourishment that features articles such as The Art Of Reading Food Labels, Balancing Blood Sugar Levels and Proteins, The Dividing Choice.  The next chapter is Lifestyle and includes articles such as Eating Out, Getting Physical and Work And Profession.

 

The recipes section includes recipes for breakfast porridges, vegetable recipes, grain, leafy greens, legumes, soups, baked goods, dressings and spreads, salads, fish, seafood and poultry, fruits, desserts and drinks.  The recipes are simple, easy to construct and most consist of only a few ingredients.  The goal is healthy eating prepared simply enough that one can easily make three meals a day. 

 

This book is recommended to all readers who are interested in a healthier lifestyle.  It gives valuable advice to parents attempting to create a love of natural foods in their children and a way to get both energy and enjoyment from the natural foods of the earth. 

 

 



The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine

It shouldn't have been a big deal.  Ivor Tesham is young, wealthy and a rising member of his party in England.  Hebe is his married lover, not morally right but a commonplace sin.  Hebe is willing to fulfill Ivor's fantasies, and for his birthday, they set up an elaborate game.  She will be taken from the street by two armed men, bundled into their limo, and delivered bound and gagged to Ivor for the night's games.

But things go horribly wrong.  There is a wreck and Hebe and one of the men are killed, the other man horribly injured.  The press gets the story, but believes that it was a real kidnapping attempt, one on the famous wife of a wealthy man.  Ivor's name never comes up, and he doesn't come forward since he knows it will end his political career.

The story dies down since the participants are dead as far as the press knows.  Ivor starts to feel safe, but there are still people who know.  Like the man who survived and his family.  The girlfriend of the other man.  Hebe's friend who she used to give her alibis to deceive her husband.  As the weeks and then months and years go by, Ivor learns to live with the past, never sure when and where it will rear it's ugly head, taking him and all he has down with a resounding explosion.

Barbara Vine is Ruth Rendell's alternate name, and her mysteries written as Vine tend to be more psychological than her other novels.  There is always an offbeat twist, and she outlines the events in such a way that the strange happenings seem to almost be the only logical outcome.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

The House Of Special Purpose by John Boyne

Georgy Jachmenev is eighty-two, living in England with his wife, Zoya.  They came to England after escaping from Russia in the early nineteen hundreds, after World War I.  Georgy was a simple farmer boy when fate gave him the chance to perform a heroic feat.  As a result, he is chosen as the new companion/protector of the Tsar's son, Alexei.

Times are changing in Russia.  The people are starting to demand change similar to what has occurred in France and other countries with monarchies.  There are rumors that the Romanovs should be the last royal family, that the country should be run by politicians.  As the war drags on and more and more young Russian men are killed, the tension increases.

Life in the royal household is more than Georgy could imagine.  Sumptuous furnishings, wonderful food, and every luxury imaginable.  A wish to one of the royal family is a command to those who serve them.  Georgy is fascinated by this new way of life and by the change in his circumstances.  He owes full allegiance to the family and falls madly in love with the youngest daughter, Anastasia.  Of course, such a love can never come to anything, as she is royalty and he is a commoner.

John Boyne has written an interesting historical fiction.  The reader is given insight into the life of the royals and the way that life changed for everyone as the common folks demanded a change.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann

The year is 1791, and change is in the air.  In country after country, the population is rising up against the idea of being ruled by the nobility.  Sweden is no different.  King Gustav is popular but some of his political moves are creating dissent.  He has given rights to the common man and while they eagerly accept, those who have been in power due to their birth are definitely opposed.  Soon there are two camps and individuals who never thought much about politics must decide which camp they belong to. 

One is these individuals is Emil Larsson.  He has fought his way up to become a bureaucrat in the Customs Office; a position that offers the potential for outside income.  He is also a man about town, seen frequently in the company of the card players at the town’s premier gaming house, that of Mrs. Sparrow.  When Emil is forced to consider marriage by his boss who wants to see his employees married, he seeks Mrs. Sparrow’s help.  She introduces him to a method of determining his fate he had never heard of; The Octavo.  The Octavo is a set of eight positions that each player must fill with the individuals around himself.  When the players are in place, their decisions and moves will impact the seeker’s fate, and often the fate of others.  Emil’s Octavo soon has him right in the middle of the conflict between the opponents and the supporters of King Gustav. 

The book is full of other interesting characters.  The Uzanne is a woman who is the social arbitrator of Stockholm society.  With her connections, a debutante cannot hope to advance without her approval.  The Uzanne uses a collection of fans to communicate her approval and influence those around her.  Johanna Gray is one of her protégé’s, a young woman who has made her way to Stockholm to seek her fortune and who has extensive knowledge of potions.  There are the fan creators, newly arrived from France, and the man who is the only one the nobility trusts to create their invitations and other printed material.  There are various nobles, some of whom are firmly under the Uzanne’s influence, and others who oppose her.  Which side will win the battle to determine the fate of Stockholm’s government and place in the world going forward?   

Karen Engelmann has created an entrancing collection of characters and a story that will capture the reader.  There are alliances and betrayals, plots and counterplots, gambling, fights for social position, and maneuvering for rewards that would rival any moves made on a battlefield.  The plot is delightfully complex, and the resolution is a satisfying ending that ties together all the disparate threads.  The history behind the Octavo is fascinating, and the slice of life that was Stockholm at this critical time is well-researched and portrayed.  This book is recommended for readers of historical or literary fiction. 

Restrike by Reba White Williams

Cousins Coleman and Dinah Greene came to New York to take the city's art world by storm after their college educations.  Coleman bought an art magazine, ArtSmart, that quickly became known as the place for witty relevant articles about all that was happening in the art world.  Dinah opened a gallery after her marriage to Jonathan, specializing in art prints.  Things seem to be going well.

But trouble has a way of entering paradise.  Coleman's magazine is being targeted by a California upstart that somehow seems to find out all her article ideas and get them to print before she can.  She must have a spy, as unseemly as it is to suspect the staff that helped her build the magazine.  Dinah's galley is in financial trouble, a victim of a poor location and customers who are scarce on the ground. 

Things are also brewing in the art world.  A reclusive billionaire, Heyward Bain, has come to town to start a print museum.  Both Coleman and Dinah get involved with him due to their careers.  It becomes evident that the man Heyward hired to bid on exclusive prints for him, is cheating him as the prints he uncovers turn out to be stolen.  An art dealer no one has heard of is murdered, and then one of Coleman's editors is also killed.  Soon Coleman and Dinah seem to be targeted as well, and it's unclear if their sleuthing is the reason.  Can they uncover the mysteries before they are brought down?

This is the first Coleman and Dinah Greene mystery, and Reba White Williams has created a delightful pair of detectives.  Full of Southern charm, gutsy and resourceful with tons of contacts, this pair can uncover crimes that the police don't have the resources to understand.  The differing lifestyle choices of the cousins and their strong relationship make this book a jewel to read.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

The Thief lives his life on the outskirts of society.  Living in a small room in Tokyo, he has no family.  He steals what he needs, robbing the rich men and women around him, sometimes for profit but more often just to prove that he can.  The Thief loves no one and no one loves him.

But that state of affairs changes when he sees a young boy and his mother in a supermarket shoplifting food.  They are clumsy and about to get caught so he takes them under his wing.  He becomes attached to the boy who looks up to this man who is the only one to show him any care. 

A former acquaintance comes back into the Thief's life, and talks him into working with him on a simple robbery for a mob boss, Kizaki.  Kizaki needs some loners to fill out his crew for this robbery and offers a fortune for their help.  The robbery is successful, but The Thief is now under the control of Kizaki.  Will this lead to his downfall?

Readers will be compelled to read and finish the story of The Thief.  It is bleak in a way that seems to echo the underside of Japanese society, and in a way that American mysteries rarely exhibit.  The reader emphasizes with The Thief, although he lives an amoral life.  This book has received many awards.  It as one of the Amazon Best Books Of The Month in March 2012.  It was a Wall Street Journal Best Mystery of 2012, and won the prestigious Oe Prize for literature in Japan.  This book is recommended for mystery and suspense readers.

The Altarpiece by Sarah Kennedy

The year is 1535, and King Henry's martial issues and his defiance of the Pope and Catholic Church is having far-reaching consequences for his people.  As he sets himself up to be the religious power, he decides to break the settings of the Catholic Church and orders the nunneries and monasteries to be closed; their inhabitants required to renounce the vows they made before God to now shift their allegiance to the King.

The Altarpiece tells the story of one such convent.  The nuns are faced with soldiers in their holy house.  All the treasures that were used to honor God in their ceremonies are now forfeit, either going to the Court or to the local landowner who will receive the land.  Most of the nuns are frightened enough to take the renunciation oath and be turned out to find work as servants or even to marry if a man will have them.  Others take to the roads, begging for their food.  Four nuns refuse the oath and attempt to salvage part of the treasures given to them to watch over. 

Tensions grow higher as the soldiers demand the nuns comply.  The village folk, who revered the nuns, now curse them and accuse them of witchcraft, blaming them for bringing the soldiers to their village.  An epidemic of smallpox erupts, killing some and laying others low.  The nuns are the ones with medical knowledge, especially the young nun Catherine.  While asking for her services, the locals and the law also accuse her of using witchcraft to heal.  Then several individuals die of what looks like poison.  How will this all be resolved?

Sarah Kennedy has written a well-researched history of this turbulent time when vows were broken and allies became enemies overnight.  The reader is taken to a time when nothing is sure and anyone or anything could mean death and destruction.  This book is recommended for historical fiction readers.

Vampires In The Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Vampires In The Lemon Grove is a collection of eight stories by Karen Russell, whose novel Swamplandia was a major literary event, nominated for the Orange Prize and selected as a New York Times Best Book of the year as well as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The book's title is also the title of the first story in the volume, a tale of two vampires who have loved each other for decades and who now reside in a lemon grove as their love dissolves.  In "The New Veterans", a massage therapist has a soldier back from the Iraqi War as her client, and his experiences there seem to transfer to her through her contact with his skin.  In "The Graveless Doll Of Eric Mutis" a group of young teen boys discover a scarecrow created to look like the boy they spent a year bullying, and they relieve the experience and wonder if retribution is about to find them.  "Reeling For The Empire" tells the story of a group of young women torn from their homes and forced to spend their lives creating silken thread the empire can sell. 

The other stories in the collection share the same characteristics as those above.  They all show the creative imagination that Karen Russell is known for.  Readers either love or dislike her writing intensely; there is no middle ground.  The world she creates is one just below the surface where things are not as they appear, and fantastical images and events are commonplace.  The reader is drawn into her imagined worlds and emerges from them knowing that what they have experienced is different from what is experienced from reading most literature.  An excellent anthology from one of the best of the young American writers, 'Vampires In The Lemon Grove' will prove an unforgettable experience.