Category: Recommended Read Page 6 of 8

published February 2, 2016
William Morrow

Some books reel you in with story and some reel you in with character. “Be Frank With Me” is a character book with a lovable and exasperating character at its center – sartorially splendid Frank, an old soul of nine years.

Frank favors the fashions of the 1930s even if it means his typical-child backyard horseplay shreds his morning coat or results in lost monocles. He is the son of Mimi Banning, the author of one massive book 30 years prior. The kind of book that changes lives, that gets dog-eared, re-read, marked up by restless youths, and then treasured by the adults they eventually become. It is the kind of book that inspires unreasonable fandom, and caused Banning to retreat behind the walls of a Bel Air mansion and become a recluse. Banning’s ability to live as a recluse is threatened by financial problems so she has contacted her editor Isaac Vargas – for the first time in decades – to say she wants to write a second book. It won’t matter if the book is good or bad – it will be huge.

Enter the narrator, Alice Whitley, Vargas’ young assistant. He sends Alice across the country to manage Banning’s household – and Frank – to free Banning to work on the manuscript. She is also meant to keep Banning on track. Alice enters this closed society with compassion and determination to not let her employer down. Frank is difficult – whip-smart but socially awkward, an insomniac prone to self-harm or rigid shutdown if his world becomes disordered. But he is also sweet, and full of fierce love for his mother – love that is returned tenfold. If Banning’s character seems brittle and brusque to Alice, one just has to consider the resources required to care for Frank while in self-imposed isolation.

“Be Frank With Me” is a heart-stealer of a book full of wit and tragedy, with a lot to say about what it means to be an outsider.

Happy reading!

An advance galley of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion

published February 2, 2016
Soho Crime

Miles of shelf space could be taken up by the books  that are Jane Austen tributes, pastiches, sequels, prequels, re-imaginings, differing points of view by minor characters, and those featuring the author herself as a character. Among the best of these is Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen Mystery Series, of which “Jane and the Waterloo Map” is the 13th.

The series conceit is these mysteries are from Austen’s recently discovered long-lost journal. As such there are occasional footnotes from the “editor” clarifying an historical point, or fleshing out a detail on Austen’s personal life. Barron knows her Austen, though sometimes the notes can jar a reader out of the story.

In “Waterloo Map” Jane finds herself in London caring for her brother Henry, who is convalescing after a serious illness, partially brought on by financial worries. England’s economy is rough in the months after the Battle of Waterloo. Austen is also taking the opportunity while in London to prepare “Emma” for publication. While touring the library at Carlton House, the Prince Regent’s London residence, at the invitation of a fan who is also HRH’s chaplain, Austen stumbles upon a dying war hero. He manages to whisper “Waterloo map” in her ear before dying. What follows is a race to find the map and learn its significance before the killer catches up.

Barron gives credible voice to Austen, a talent she has honed over many volumes. Raphael West, son of artist Benjamin West, first introduced to us in “Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas” (2014), makes a welcome return as Jane’s ally as she untangles the mystery. Period details will delight Janeites and fans of regency novels, but rabid fandom is not a prerequisite for enjoying Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries, particularly this exceptional addition to the series. The mystery is solid and suspenseful.

Happy Reading!

An advance galley of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion

published January 26, 2016
Forge Books

This fourth entry in the Carpenter and Quincannon mystery series finds the PI partners working apart on their own whodunits. Set in 1890s San Francisco this light series is as much about time and place as it is about the mysteries. Period slang and turns of phrase are liberally used by former Secret Service agent and temperance man John Quincannon. More formal in speech is his partner (in the strictest sense of the word, not for lack of trying on Quincannon’s part) Sabina Carpenter, former Pinkerton agent.

Carpenter is providing security for an exhibit of pricey purses (amusingly titled “Reticules Through the Ages”) rumored to be targeted by thieves. Quincannon meanwhile has his hands full working trying to discover who was willing to kill for a brewery’s highly-sought steam beer recipe. The back and forth between the two cases is ably handled by Muller and Pronzini.

A particular quirk of this series is that the world of Carpenter and Quincannon is one in which Sherlock Holmes exists – off the page. In each title they have received – unbidden – assistance from Holmes, who is supposedly biding his time in San Francisco while the wider world thinks he died at Reichenbach Falls. Quincannon barely conceals his irritation at the so-called “crackbrain” but Carpenter has been a little more indulgent – after all, he has  been a genuine help on occasion. Then a Chicago man shows up at the office claiming Holmes is really his delusional cousin, and Carpenter agrees to help locate the supposed detective.

While more interaction between Carpenter and Quincannon would have been welcome, this is still a satisfying read. “The Plague of Thieves Affair,” and others in this series, are an excellent recommendation for fans of light historical mystery, and old-fashioned “locked room” puzzlers.

An advance galley of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.

published January 19, 2016
Little, Brown and Company

Fans of the well-established, well-loved John Rebus series will find much to like in this 20th outing. When a government prosecutor is murdered, Rebus is called out of retirement by his former partner, DI Siobahn Clarke, to consult. Then shots are taken at his old nemesis, gangster Big Ger Cafferty, in his home. It is soon apparent these cases entwine but the how is buried deep in the past.  Meanwhile Rebus’ former work nemesis and ex-Complaints (a.k.a. internal affairs) officer DI Malcom Fox is assisting a visiting team doing surveillance on a Glasgow crime family that is after something in Edinburgh.

Fox and Rebus spend more time in each other’s company as colleagues rather than adversaries this time, giving grudging acknowledgment to the skills each brings to police work, helping to round out Fox’s character. Clarke is, as always, the perfect foil for Rebus, and took more of a lead in this book. But it is the evolution of the endless sparring match between Rebus and Cafferty, the underworld upheaval to fill the vacuum being left as aging gangsters like Cafferty fade away, and the pesky way that bodies refuse to stay buried in Edinburgh that makes “Even Dogs in the Wild” an exceptional entry in the series.

An advance galley of this book was kindly provided by the publisher with no expectations other than an honest opinion.

published January 19, 2015
St. Martins Press

Anna Forster has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in her late 30s. Once the disease has progressed to a certain point she and her twin brother agree it is time to  move to an assisted-living facility, Rosalind House. They chose Rosalind in part because there is one other resident near her age: Luke. He doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, but a similarly tragic form of dementia. Meanwhile, Eve has come to Rosalind House seeking employment and a chance to rebuild her life with her young daughter after suffering a devastating personal loss of her own. The novel tells their stories through alternating chapters.

Luke and Anna form a bond over the course of the book that raises questions about the nature of love and responsibility toward those with diminished capacities. Hepworth moves the reader back and forth in time between the two women giving a slightly disorienting effect that keeps the  pages turning. The reveals unfold slowly and, in some cases surprisingly.

This touching tale is a good choice for book clubs, and fans of Lisa Genova.

An advance galley of this book was kindly provided by the publisher with no expectations other than an honest opinion.

Do you ever get on a roll with your reading where you love every book you pick up? Where you don’t feel like waving the white flag on a single title? Where your nose is stuck so far in a book that maybe calls go to voice mail, the dog has to bark at the back door more than once, and the kids have to remind you that you PROMISED you would make lunch, like, half an hour ago? Well, I have been in that reading nirvana lately. It’s a nice place to be and it certainly bodes well for the year ahead.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Random House
published January 12, 2016

I read this at least a month ago and I still find myself returning to it in my mind. Strout did something extraordinary with just over 200 pages. Not a word is wasted in this spare, beautiful tale of family, art, and how childhood poverty wreaks a kind of violence on families and individuals that can persist.

Lucy is recalling a period in the 1980s when she went into the hospital for an appendectomy and wound up staying for weeks, fighting off an infection. The mother she hasn’t spoken to in years comes to stay with her for a time. Slowly, through “where are they now” conversations about the people that populated Lucy’s childhood – a kind of neutral ground topic for them –  we learn where Lucy came from, and the effort it took to extricate herself.  The affection and bond between mother and daughter is apparent but neither can get past their own barriers for long.

This lovely, haunting book is a joy and a heartbreak. I expect it will make it onto many “best of” lists at the end of the year. Highly recommended.

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
Doubleday
published January 5, 2016

This title is a nail-biter about one poor decision turning into consequence after worsening consequence. The bad decision in this case is Richard Chapman agreeing to host his younger brother’s bachelor party at his Westchester home. He assumed one of his brother’s friends would organize for a stripper to be there, and there was. In fact, there were two. Along with two intimidating Russian bodyguards. What he didn’t expect was the strippers murdering their bodyguards in his living room and driving away into the night.

What follows is the story of Richard, his wife, and daughter coping with the murder becoming the sordid news story of the moment, alternating with the tragic story of one of the strippers, Alexandra. We learn how she went from schoolgirl and ballet student in earthquake-ravaged Armenia to bachelor party “talent” and now doubly a fugitive – wanted for questioning by the police, and wanted back by the gangsters that brought her to America.

Her harrowing tale contrasts with Richard’s comfortable upper-middle-class naiveté. He tells himself the strippers he sees on stage are really a “sociology major with a flat stomach” or  a Brazilian who “viewed herself as a feminist capitalist.” The more problems caused by the case’s notoriety, the more he mentally catalogues his almost-the-best material possessions: the “wannabe Bierstadt painting” ruined by blood spatter, the “faux antique divan.” It’s never a car, it’s a pewter gray Audi. He is quietly irked when the paper describes his house as the smallest on a street full of mansions. It’s the comforting language of Stuff and he clings to it as his carefully curated American Dream frays.

Bohjalian knows how to keep the reader turning pages. The issues around sex workers, particularly international, that he raises make this a good choice for book clubs looking to sink their teeth into a very serious issue.

American Housewife by Helen Ellis
Doubleday
published January 12, 2016

This is another slim volume – a sharp collection of (very) loosely connected short stories and vignettes about ladies who lunch – and who might be heard to exclaim at one of these lunches “my breath is the Pinot Grigio-est!” There is plenty to make the reader laugh out loud – from the demented anarchy  of the “Wainscoting War” to the chilling (but ever amusing) oppression of “My Novel is Brought to You by the Good People at Tampax.”

You can easily devour this dark confection all at once or dip into these stories of a privileged, rule-bound, and slightly deranged milieu here and there as you find a moment. Ellis has something to say – something serious when you look past the absurdity – and a wickedly funny way of saying it.

Advance galleys of these books were kindly provided by the publishers with no expectations other than an honest opinion.

I didn’t intend for a month to go by between posts but the World’s Worst Cold had different ideas. By the time I recovered from The Cold (mostly – I’m still the proud owner of an annoying cough), I was well behind on Christmas preparations.

So now the gifts have been opened, the friends have visited, the rum cake has been scarfed, and it is time to get back to books. The worst thing about being sick was how difficult it was to read more than a few pages at a time. It was much easier to prop the iPad next to me and mindlessly watch Netflix while drifting in and out of sleep. Luckily I had two fantastic books on hand for when I was reading.

So if you received a gift card to your local bookseller and you don’t know what to get, I happily recommend the following two books. (If you didn’t receive a gift card, or you ran out first thing on the 26th and spent it, get thee to a Library!)

Splinter the Silence by Val McDermid
Atlantic Monthly Press
published December 1, 2015

If you are a lover of moody mysteries with despicable and depraved villains, and complicated heroes then you must already know the work of master crime writer Val McDermid. “Splinter the Silence” is the 9th outing for DCI (retired in this book) Carol Jordan and criminal psychologist/profiler Tony Hill. Jordan’s team is disbanded and scattered. She is hiding away in the country, nursing wounds through application of copious amounts of alcohol. She suffers a humiliating fall from grace and Hill arrives to help her climb back whether she wants the help or not.

A chance to return to policing comes when she is approached to head a multi-county major crimes unit with members hand-picked by her. A good part of the book focuses on efforts to reassemble her previous team and reestablishing the grievances of old rivals and foes in the Bradford Police. But this wouldn’t be a Jordan/Hill book without a serial killer and Hill is quietly making connections from a spate of suicides – women who were recently targeted by internet trolls.

There is much focus on personal lives and personal demons in “Splinter the Silence,” with the hunt for the killer taking a smaller role but that does not detract from what is a very good entry to this series, that seems to be setting characters up for a next phase. The chase is still a thrill, the Jordan/Hill dynamic is as compelling as ever, and some intriguing threads left dangling should leave fans eager for the next installment. Readers new to the series should be able to jump in and enjoy without confusion – but why not treat yourself and start at the beginning? Pick up “The Mermaids Singing” and see where it all began.

The Verdict by Nick Stone
Pegasus
published December 7, 2015

I have been recommending “The Verdict” to everyone lately. This London-based legal thriller kept me turning pages well past my bedtime. When I first saw the page count (512) I hesitated but the story pulled me along so well I didn’t once want to skip through sections just to get ahead.

Terry Flynt is a man who spent a good part of his young adulthood getting in his own way and squandering opportunity. He is paying the price now by working to maintain hard-won sobriety and struggling to support a family as a lowly legal clerk in a prestigious law firm. He is older than the typical entry-level clerk and that marks him for bullying in the competitive atmosphere – bullying that ramps up when he gets a plum trial assignment because he happened to be the one who answered the phone. If he does well, it could lead to promotion and a company scholarship to finish his law degree.

The brass ring recedes when he discovers he must help defend wealthy, successful Vernon James, a man Flynt loathes. James and Flynt were childhood friends – inseparable, until James betrayed Flynt. Now James stands accused of the murder of a woman in his hotel suite and Flynt will need to reopen some old wounds along the way to finding out what happened that night.

This plot is full of satisfying twists and surprise revelations with a good mix of mystery and action. Just when I thought I knew the inevitable outcome, the outcome became much less inevitable. Characters are for the most part well-developed, especially Flynt. This made a lot of 2015 “Best of” lists, and for good reason. Highly recommended.

Happy Reading!

Advance galleys of these books were kindly provided by the publishers with no expectations other than an honest opinion.