King of Lies  -   John Hart

                                Debut Novel


Jackson Workman Pickens, everyone calls him "Work", is a lawyer.  I could never decide if I liked him, felt sorry for him, or just disliked him.  Even when I was finished with the book, I still
did not know!!!!  I guess he just wasn't a strong character for me even though he was the protagonist.

Anyway, Work's father was also a lawyer and Work worked for him.  But on the night Work's mother died, his father disappeared.
Then his father is found murdered.   The evidence seems to point to him, but he is afraid that is sister might have done it.

So while trying to protect her, keep the cops off his back, he tries to find out who the real killer is.  

Not bad for a debut novel, had some twists in it , also somethings were predictable.
I will try his next novel ,  the guy has potential!!   lol

The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Historical Fiction

It's a shame that we often pass over epic tomes.  This book was just over 700 pages and because of that it sat on my bookshelf for many years.  I didn't have time at home to try to settle in with such a long book, on vacation I didn't want to read just ONE book!  It's so easy to sit with a James Patterson and his short chapters - "oh just one more chapter".

So, I'm so glad I put this book on my toppling bookpile and finally read it!  Based on the true story of a wrongly convicted man, Steven Truscott, this book goes beyond a simple historic narrative with fictionalized explanation of what may have happened.  It's a story that shows how our actions and inactions whether good or bad, whether right or wrong have lasting, permanent effects on others.  People we know, people we don't know.  How secrets can alter the lives not just of the secret holder but of those around them.

I highly recommend taking the time to read this book.  It's a murder mystery with a twist, a contemplative book about secrets, what is the difference between right and wrong, and the innocence (or not) of childhood.

The Old Cape House by Barbara Eppich Struna

Vacation Read

Picked this book up while on vacation in Cape Cod.  I was intrigued by the the story itself - a mystery based on an old pirate legend, as well as by the author, Barbara Eppich Struna.  Turns out she and her husband lived in Northeast Ohio for a time, not far from my own hometown and my mom actually went to school with the author's husband's cousin!  Another unexpected surprise was when we happened upon a book signing at the Pirate Museum in P-town and actually met Mrs. Struna!!!

The story itself is enjoyable.  I always like a pirate story and also enjoy the writing style that volleys back and forth between the present and past (provided the author can do so without confusing the reader, which Struna did).

Struna has written a sequel The Old Cape Teapot which I also picked up while shopping at independent bookstores and am looking forward to reading.  (And I learned she's currently writing a third!!)

  The Thirteenth Tale  -  Diane Satterfield

                Historical Fiction


I am not sure why this novel is considered historical fiction, unless it is because it is a story about the history of the characters in the novel.  To me it would be more of a gothic novel.

Anyway,  it was more like having a story told to me rather than reading a book.  Miss Winter is an elderly women who has written 12 books in her life.  She invites Margaret Lea, an novice biographer, to write her true life history.  She tells it to Margaret in story form.

A very entertaining read with mystery, secrets, twins, and learning about oneself.    Never did find the historical connection.

   The Language of Bees - Laurie R. King

                         Series

I learned a lot about the colonies of bees and how the loneliness they feel will make them destroy their own hives.  How sad is that??

I also traveled by aeroplane to northern Scotland in search of a religious madman.    Who knew that madman would turn out to be related to one of the main characters in this series????
So is it Russell or Holmes who has a secret in their past.???

Another good book in this continuing series.!!!!

         White Guys  -  Anthony Giardina

                            New Author


Followed 5 boys , from childhood friends to adulthood. 4 of the guys move out of their hometown and up in their careers,  1 does not.   Learned how they all questioned their lives, choices and a devastating secret.    Not really taken from a true incident, but definitely patterned after a real-life happening.

It was just an okay book for me.




                       

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Historical Fiction

I probably was expecting too much out of Chevalier's latest novel because I so adored her previous novels.  Not to say this one was bad; it just wasn't AS good as the others.

Even if it wasn't my favorite, it was still a good historical fiction read covering the Underground Railroad in Ohio (my home state!) and the Quaker faith.  I would have liked to have learned more about the Railroad, but instead the story focused on one Quaker, Honor, and the dilemmas she faces during a tense and difficult time.

Sadly, even though the time period of the novel is nineteenth century, so much of the racism and discrimination still takes place in our twenty-first century world.  Nothing saddens me more than seeing people (sometimes even those I care about) who treat others as less than the human beings we all equally are.

Quote: “...everyone has a measure of Light in them and though the amount can vary, all must try to live up to their measure.”

Errors and Omissions  -  Paul Goldstein

                    Debut

This was a legal thriller.  Not so much in the sense of courtroom suspense but more along the lines of moral suspense.

Michael is an expect in intellectual property law and a movie studio hires him to get an author sign off on the rights to a movie script he wrote back in the 1950's.  But that was back when actors, writers and movie moguls were being blacklisted by McCarthy.  So who really wrote this particular movie and what should Michael do that would be ethically correct??

One Shot by Lee Child

New Author

Lee Child started his Jack Reacher series in 1997, but I didn't delve into it until now and against my normal practice of starting a series with Book #1, I picked up the only one I had, Book #9.

It read as a typical suspense/thriller.  Jack Reacher is the typical far too realistic protagonist - damaged and therefore appealing to women, action hero, elusive.

It was a decent read, but I doubt that I'll follow the series.  I'd much rather pick up a Harlan Cobin (stand alone, not the Myron Bolitar series), a Lisa Unger or a Dean Koontz (though not his King-like horror novels) that offer a bit more depth within their writing.

The Wettest County in the World   -  Matt Bondurant

                     Historical Fiction

Franklin County, Virginia.  1929.  Prohibition.   Moonshine.  Bootleggers.   Violence.    Hard times.

Matt tells a fictional story about the family facts of his grandfather and two great-uncles.  The story was good,  I just had a very had time following it because of the way it jumped around.  It was 1929 and then it was 1935 and then it was 1930.  I don't mind books that go back and forth but I still need some consistency  in the traveling back and forth .  

All in all,  living in that time period would have been very difficult and if you were in the business of moonshine, making or running it,  it was a dangerous time.

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

"G" Author

Wow!  The first half of the book did little for me.  It settled into a story of a typical teenager, adapting and trying to finding herself.  But the second half of the book - Wow!

I am simultaneously amazed and disappointed by the Human Race.  At times I think we need to step back from wanting to control and intricately understand EVERYTHING.  Sometimes we need to simply appreciate the mystery and beauty of the world we live in.  We need to put our egos in check.  While humans are a pretty incredible species, we are not superior to ALL in this world/universe.
We are too quick to judge based on misguided religious and political ideals or by our own limited knowledge and experience.  How much better our world would be if we approached everything with empathy and open-mindedness first.

Reading opens up worlds that I may never know otherwise and introduces me to characters and their experiences that allows me to go into the real world with a different perspective.  It creates in me empathy so that I may approach others with compassion and without judgment.  This is the true gift reading bestows on a reader.

Quote: "She was given the gift of adversity."

Pirate King by Laurie R. King

Series

#11 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.  This one took a bit of a turn and delved into the making of a silent film.  I found parts of it interesting and there were some suspenseful moments, but I wasn't as enrapt in this one as I have been in previous books.

Though, I am still enjoying the series and look forward to the next three, Garment of Shadows, Dreaming of Spies and The Murder of Mary Russell (hope this doesn't mean the series is coming to an end!!)

Roadside Crosses  -  Jeffery Deaver

              "Guilty Pleasure"


Kathryn Dance is the detective who is tracking a killer.  The people in danger are the ones who are posting on a certain blog.  The killer finds them there and the puts up roadside crosses letting the police know that a murder will be happening.

As usual for a Deaver thriller, there are many twists and turns in the plot.  

               

Locked Rooms   -    Laurie R. King

       "Series"

Another good read by Ms. King.  This time we travel to San Francisco, ten years after the great fire of 1909.

Mary and Sherlock go there to settle Mary's family estate.  Memories she didn't know she had begin to return in this familiar setting and she learns many things about her parents she did not know.

As always a very entertaining book.

Between the Lines

Guilty Pleasure

Fun read, just what I needed!! This isn't your typical fairy tale, but it is Oh, so much fun!  I read this in only about a day's time and don't want to say too much as I don't want to give any of the fun away.   I'll definitely read the recently published sequel, "Off the Page"