The Inky Whisk

published February 23, 2016
Doubleday

When you read a novel about the doomed zeppelin Hindenburg, you already know how it ends. But Lawhon (The Wife, The Maid, and the Mistress, 2014) has some ideas about how that inevitable ending came about.

In May of 1937 passengers and crew boarded the Hindenburg in Frankfurt, Germany, with the expectation of landing in New Jersey three days later. The airship was a luxurious marvel, though emblazoned with swastikas, and kept aloft with highly combustible hydrogen. Lawhon introduces the cast of characters first in short sections as they go about settling in for the journey. Like an old mystery movie we have The Stewardess, The Journalist, The Cabin Boy, The Navigator, The American, etc. The story unfolds through their eyes as the 16-story Hindenburg makes its way. There are personal dramas and intrigues along with an undercurrent of menace as the ship is also hosting several Gestapo officers due to a bomb threat.

Lawhon’s research shows through her details about the ship, from its luxurious appointments to its inner mechanics. Some of the most interesting information involves the painstaking efforts made to respect the hydrogen, whether it be special rubber boots in restricted parts of the ship to avoid creating a static spark, to the specially pressurized lounge where cigarettes are doled out carefully and do not leave the room under any circumstance.

The “Flight of Dreams” will only end one way, but there is intrigue and suspense in getting there, making this is a great choice for fans of historical fiction.

Happy Reading!

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

published February 23, 2016
Penguin Books

This quick read is dark, funny, and devastating, taking the reader from Lizzie/Beth/Elizabeth’s awkward, overweight adolescence through her equally awkward, thin adulthood in 13 connected stories.

Awad tells Elizabeth’s tale by jumping into various points in her life, through telling vignettes. Most are from Elizabeth’s point of view with a couple from the perspective of the men in her life. Starting in Missasagua (or “Misery Saga” as she calls it) we see Lizzie play the role of fat friend to thinner girls, and needy sure thing to callow men looking for a little worship to boost their egos. Later she is thin – a state hard fought, hard won, hard maintained, and grimly enjoyed. Beth, as she is now called, endures passive aggressive scone eating with a metabolically-blessed coworker while carefully calculating every lettuce leaf she eats in pursuit of her goal. Some of the most affecting parts of the book deal with her relationships with her husband and her mother.

This story of one woman’s uneasy relationship with her body is an excellent choice for both women and men. It would also no doubt spark lots of discussion in a book club setting.

Happy Reading!

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

published February 9, 2016
Polis Books

A barely-competent family of thieves, the entitled son of a mobster, his seriously pissed-off supermodel ex-girlfriend, an ex-cop security officer, and a jewel-encrusted bra (the eponymous “ice chest”) combine for a first-rate caper with laugh-out-loud moments.

Clarissa Cartwright is the face (and body) of Enigma lingerie. She will wear the $5.5 million dollar bra as the centerpiece of Enigma’s Birds of Paradise Collection show. Rafe Valentine has a plan for his crew of criminals to get their hands on the jeweled bra with the begrudging help of his young nephew, Branson, who works at the hotel hosting the Atlanta show. But he doesn’t count on the theft going sideways, and  being  pursued by both the Enigma security team (featuring one operative who wields a mean Hello, Kitty stun gun), and the ex-boyfriend (with mob sidekicks).

The twists and laughs keep coming in this quick satisfying read. Fans of Lisa Lutz’s Spellman Files series, or Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum mysteries would enjoy this madcap tale with its large cast of characters.

Happy reading!

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

published February 9, 2016
GP Putnam’s Sons

This atmospheric novel set in Cornwall moves the reader back and forth in time as two women experience life-changing events in the genteel decay of Pencraw Estate, known affectionately by the Alton family and locals as Black Rabbit Hall.

The Alton family in the 1960s is the picture of privilege. Toby and Amber (twins), and younger siblings Barney and Kitty bask in the affection of their brash, beautiful American mother, who is equally worshiped by their father, Hugo Alton. Black Rabbit Hall is the family’s summer refuge from the bustle of London. It is eccentrically disheveled and lightly staffed. The floors are uneven, slate flies off the roof with every storm, birds and other creatures perish in the chimneys regularly, the heat is uneven, and the clocks are so hopelessly off everyone must tell time in their own way (a stomach rumble, the position of the sun.)

Still with all that is left unrepaired the Altons wouldn’t trade their time at Black Rabbit Hall. Summers are a magic idyll where they shut out the world and run wild in the woods, splash at the beach, and watch for the rabbits to come out of their dens at dusk.

As with all good gothic page-turners tragedy comes and the heart is torn out of Black Rabbit Hall. We skip forward in time as Lorna, a young bride-to-be is drawn to Pencraw, a place she vaguely remembers from childhood trips with her family. It is now truly in disrepair and inexplicably on the market as a wedding venue. Chase seems to take great delight in giving the Hall a personality of its own (a breakfast between Lorna and the lady of the Hall, brittle Caroline Alton, in the decrepit dining room is particularly vivid.) As Lorna’s husband-to-be said, Black Rabbit Hall is “sort of like being trapped in a Kate Bush song.” This satisfying, moody book of tragedy, twists, and fierce love is a good choice for rainy afternoon reading.

Happy reading!

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

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.