Bledsoe, Jerry: Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder
If you ever get the feeling that you have some insanity running in your family, read this book. This family (at least some of the members) are dangerously nutty. I liked this true crime story a lot, even though it's long (more than 600 pages) and the author goes into great detail regarding each character's past life and the history of places and things. (****)
Krueger, William Kent: Heaven's Keep: A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series)
Intrepid hero Cork O’Connor faces the most harrowing mission of his life when a charter plane carrying his wife goes missing in a snowstorm over the Wyoming Rockies. (***)
Sager, Riley: The Only One Left: A Novel
The Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion, no in danger of plunging into the sea below, where the massacre occurred. Very twisty ending.
(****)
Hufford, Deborah: Blood to Rubies
The best book I've read this year, it follows the life of Chief Joseph of the Perce New as he and his people fight to save their land in the Pacific Northwest. A large cast of other characters flesh this story out and make it one you'll remember for a long time. It's very sad, especially the end, so keep the tissues handy. (****)
Modglin, Kiersten: Do Not Open
Stephen King fans will not doubt be reminded of. MISERY when reading this book. Another author, this one with a troubled life and writer's blocks, comes in contact with her "number one fan," with terrifying results. (****)
Valerie Fraser Luesse: Almost Home: A Novel
The Great Depression hasn't quite left Blackberry Springs, Alabama at the beginning of WWII. Dollly finds she must turn the home that has been in her family for several generations into a boarding house. The people who rent her rooms become to her land her husband (and to the roomers) family. This is a wonderful book. (****)
Blakemore, A.K.: The Glutton: A Novel
Ever known anyone who could "eat anything?" Not like this guy, I bet you haven't. 1798, France.A Versailles hospital where a young nun has been tasked with sitting with the patient who must always be watched. The man is dying: they say he ate a golden fork, and that it’s killing him from the inside. But that’s not all—he is rumored to have done monstrous things in his attempts to sate an insatiable appetite…an appetite they say tortures him still. Sort of a yucky book, but very interesting. (***)
Alam, Rumaan: Leave the World Behind
What could happen when catastrophe causes our culture, our world, to start crumbling? Who knows what the catastrophe is? This book never tells, nor does the Netflix movie based on it. But it's still darn scary. One of my faves for the year. (****)
Medoff, Jillian: When We Were Bright and Beautiful: A Novel
When Billy Quinn, a junior at Princeton, is arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, his rushes home to Manhattan to join forces with her brothers and parents to support and defend Billy. The Quinns scramble to hire the best legal minds money can buy, but Billy fits the all-too-familiar sex-offender profile—white, athletic, and privileged—that makes headlines and sways juries. (****)
Quinn, Kate: The Rose Code: A Novel
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. To me, this book was too long (650 pages) for the subject it covered, and there was too many characters and too much description of decoding machines. There were good moments and good characters, but the story was just to drawn out. It gets good reviews though, and everyone else in my book club loved it. So you might too. (***)
Carmen, Christa: The Daughters of Block Island: A Novel
White Hall, the huge old home on an isolated island, would seem to be a perfect setting for a gothic haunted house story, which was promised. And there were a couple of hints at haunting in the beginning. But it turns out they were nothing more than evil plots of angry, evil men. I wasn't impressed. (**)
Ramsay, Danielle: The Perfect Husband
Sophie's wedding day was perfect; she was marrying the love of her life, the perfect husband. But she could barely recognize the man she was spending her wedding night with. He had changed in the blink of an eye, from the kind, attentive man she had married just hours before to a belligerent monster. Was Sophie's wedding-night trip to the emergency room with a broken wrist a picture of things to come? (***)
Shari Low: One Moment in Time
Zara's parents' 30th anniversary is coming up, and Zara and her sister have planned an elaborate surprise trip to celebrate. The family will fly to Las Vegas where the festivities will take place. But none of the details of the trip have been revealedl to Mom and Dad. They're in for some surprises. And so are their two daughters. (***)
Hepworth, Sally: The Soulmate: A Novel
Pippa and Gabe live in a cozy home in a small coastal town with their two little girls, "Irish twins," born just six months apart.. Their house is steps away from a precarious cliff, famous for people coming there to jump and commit suicide. But Gabe has a talent of talking people down. Not one person has made a successful jump at the cliff since Gabe has lived there. Until somebody does. And thus begin the secrets. Good book. (****)
Stephen Coonts: Saucer: Saucer, Book 1
This book was very good at the beginning and at the end. But most of the middle was, to me, very boring. A bunch of people fighting over who owns the flying saucer, found confined in a rock in the Sahara. Then three of the characters flying the saucer around--like that would really happen. So I give the first 1/4 and the last 1/4 four stars, and the middle half 2 stars. (***)
Jackson, Joshilyn: With My Little Eye: A Novel
This is not this author's best book. For one thing, the characters' vocabularies are unintelligible. One assumes this is supposed to be how the people of L.A. and Atlanta talk. Also not one of the characters in this book is very likable. There's this actress woman who can't make up her mind among three men who she wants to be with. To add to her confusion, any one of them (or maybe none of them) is the threatening stalker who has followed her across the country. There's another woman, and both women have daughters; and then there's another teenager who's homeless, and there's a dog. And it's all a bit of a fish mash. (***)
Olsen, Gregg: I Know Where You Live
Violet's family is a hot mess. Sexual predation, incest, and murder are their pastimes. And those who don't participate in these crimes lie and protect the ones who do. This could be a disturbing book for some. (***)
Ellison, J.T.: It's One of Us: A Novel of Suspense
Imagine you and your husband have been trying for several years for a baby with no success. Then, unbeknownst to you (or to him) you find that he has dozen of children as a result of a sperm donation. And one of them is a killer. That's the story. (***)
Cronin, Justin: The Ferryman: A Novel
I chose this book to read based on a very good reviews by Stephen King and Andy Weir. And it is a good book. Very good. But I confess I had a bit of a problem keeping up with where the characters were and in what time frame and in what state of consciousness. I'm still not sure I understand the whole thing. But it is a supremely well written apocalyptic tale. (****)
Getson, D.S.: Earl, Honey
Ever since Pa hit him in the head with the two-by-four, Earl Hahn has been slow, the last one to catch on to things. It takes him longer to make the connections others arrive at easily. When his father is prosecuted for the crime of incest, it feels like deliverance for Earl, his mother Lizzie Belle, and the entire Hahn family. Unfortunately, his father’s abhorrent actions are not done exacting a price. Everyone in the household will pay for their patriarch’s crimes – no one more than Earl. (****)
Hannah, Kristin: Magic Hour: A Novel
What else can you expect from Kristin Hannah but a wonderful story That's certainly what you get here, one of the two or three best books I've read this year. It takes place in the rugged Pacific Northwest. From deep within the darkness of the Olympic National Forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past. Had a hard time putting this one down. (*****)
Grant, Cathryn: The Woman In the Mirror: A Psychological Suspense Novel (Alexandra Mallory Book 1)
A precarious cliff-top bungalow, a man searching for peace, a pathological liar, and an alluring sociopath, what could go wrong? Plenty. (****)
Markin, Wes: One Last Prayer
A small town in the grip of a destructive snowstorm, a missing boy, a deranged family whose history is steeped in violence, and a relentless detective combine for a chilling and absorbing thriller. (****)
Mullen, O. J.: Three Sisters
When Lewis Stone meets the Kennedy sisters, a train of events begins that engulfs them all. One sister is left fighting for her life. One sister is left fighting for her marriage. And one sister is hellbent on revenge. Thrills and chills.
(****)
Haines, Carolyn: Tell-Tale Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
This time, Sarah Booth and Tinkie are sleuthing to find the whereabouts of two women who have been missing for six years. Of course, they are joined by Sarah Booth's two furry partners, Sweetie Pie the dog and Pluto the curious cat. And from time to time, Tinkie's little dog Chablis. And hat would a Sarah Booth Delaney mystery be without some appearances by Kitty the ghost--this time dressed as Edgar Allen Poe characters, including the author himself. (***)
Napolitano, Ann: Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel
I think of this book as a modern adult version of Little Women--sort of. It's a beautiful story. And especially if one has sisters, which I do) it will touch your heart. Keep the Kleenex box handy, especially for the last few chapters. (****)
Nugent, Liz: Strange Sally Diamond
Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say. (****)
Lehane, Dennis: Small Mercies: A Novel
Takes place during the school bussing riots in Boston in 1974. The author squeezes in a Boston crime family as a big part of this story. Riveting plot, but the racism is hard to take. But I'm sure it's based on reality. After all I grew up near Birmingham, Alabama, and lived through racism, segregation, and race riots there. (****)
Walls, Jeannette: Hang the Moon
Set in the Appalachian area of Virginia during Prohibition, Duke Kincaid runs the county and sets the laws. Moonshining and rum running support the county's economy. Duke's 19-year-old daughter Sallie inherits her father's dynasty after he and her older siblings die. This is a good book, but I have to confess it's a little hard to keep up with who fathered (and mothered) whom. Seems like every time you turn a page, someone is sleeping with someone else they shouldn't have. (****)
Cannon, J.M.: Blood Oranges: A Pulse-Pounding New Thriller Packed With Twists
I love a good thriller; and dang! is this ever a good thriller! I didn't much like the ending, but up until that point, it was amazing. (****)
Quay Tyson, Tiffany: The Past Is Never: A Novel
If you're a fan of southern gothic literature (or even if you aren't) you might love this book. I did. It's the best book I've read this year and one of the best I've read ever. (****)
Jackson, Jenny: Pineapple Street: A Novel
This book has no discernible plot whatsoever. It reads like a soap opera--various events in the lives of the old-money, Brooklyn Heights family. That said, I was pulled into the events of their lives immediately. Nothing memorable about this book--just a fairly entertaining narrative. (***)
Deangelis, Camille: Bones & All
Although the author did a good job with her narrative, her premise was just stupid in my opinion. Every major character in this book (and some of the minor ones) are cannibals. We're not talking Jeffrey Dahmer types here, where the cannibals prepare their meals piecemeal, as it were, and keep them in the refrigerator. Oh no. These guys and gals somehow take their victims down with no weapons involved and finish them off (bones and all) in minutes. Except this one dude who claims he doesn't eat anyone who isn't already dead. One of the few good things I can say about this book is that we don't have to watch the victims being consumed, to we don't know how these horrors are completed in such a short time. It's also a movie on Amazon Prime; you can rent it for $5.29. I think I'll save my money for something that obeys the suspension of disbelief rule. Pooh on this ridiculous book. (*)
Hendrix, Grady: Horrorstor: A Novel
Imagine an IKEA built over an ancient prison site. You just know it's going to be haunted. It is. Not Grady's best effort, but not bad. (***)
Audrain, Ashley: The Push: A Novel
Whee doggies! What a book! I read this one in two late-night sessions. Another "bad seed" plot--or is it?. You have to wait until the very last sentence to know for sure. From an online review: "It’s a story about the most life-changing and literal “push” that is childbirth, and the more figurative “push” that society places on women to have children." But it's so much more. Most reviewers say that it might be too raw and intense for new or expectant mothers. (****)
Follett, Ken: Never: A Novel
If you tell me that Ken Follett is an amazing writer, you'll get no argument from me. But if you say, as Stephen King has, that Follett "can't write a bad book," I'll beg to differ. I'm only halfway through this 800-plus-page tome, but so far it's one of the most tedious and pointless books I've ever tried to read. I say "tried" because I'm not sure I'll make it through the next 400 pages. I'll give it another chapter or two to get better, then I'm moving on if it doesn't. (*)
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins: The Yellow Wallpaper
This short story was first published in1892 by American write Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's health, both physical and mental. But to me its just a good old scary story and reminds me a lot of the work of more recent writers like Shirley Jackson and even Stephen King. Good story. (****)
Frazier, Charles: The Trackers: A Novel
Painter Val Welch travels westward to the rural town of Dawes, Wyoming where he has landed a New Deal assignment to create a mural representing the region for their new Post Office. Wealthy art lover John Long and his wife Eve have agreed to host Val at their sprawling ranch. When Long's wife disappears, he offers John a tempting sum of money to travel the country searching for her.
Every Charles Frazier book since COLD MOUNTAIN has disappointed me, and this one is no exception. None of them measures up to that wonderful novel. (***)
Green, S. E.: The Family
This is a story about a young girl who is dissatisfied with homelife with her single mom and goes to live with her father in what she believes to be a commune where everyone is equal and nobody is the leader. She soon finds out that this is a cult and her own father is the leader, a harsh and authoritative leader. (***)
Green, S. E.: The Third Son
As he is in the process of building a family with his wife of two years and her two young sons, architect Carter Grady learns that a one night stand of which he'd been a part years ago had produced Carter's biological son. The boy's mother has died, leaving him an orphan. Carter has the option of taking the boy to raise or letting him go into the foster system. Of course, As far as Carter is concerned, there's no decision to be made: of course, he'll bring the boy to live with him and his family. Problem #1: he has to tell the family about the boy. Problem #2: there's something definitely wrong with the kid. This is a darn good book. (****)
Sottile, Leah: When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times
Lori Vallow and her husband, grave digger turned doomsday novelist, Chad Daybell (as well as just about everyone else in this book) are members of the Mormon Church. But I hope that nobody reads it as a statement against Mormons. I know a few Mormons who are not serial killers nor enablers of them. That said, Lori and Chad are psycho killers of the worst kind. This book was hard to get through, not only because of Lori and Chad's hideous crimes but also because the author spends by far more time talking about the history and makeup of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I suppose she thought the reader could only. know the killers by know about their church. But I don't think so. The two were just nuts. They would have, in my opinion, done the same thing had they been Baptists, Catholics, Jews, atheists, etc. I didn't care for this book. (**)
Picoult, Jodi: Mad Honey: A Novel
Is a son likely to inherit a father's violent tendencies? Did Ash do what he's accused of doing? Is everybody in this book who/what they appear to be. You'll have to read it and find out. Just be assured that Jody Picoult and her co-author Jennifer Finney Boylan hit one out of the park with this great book that tackles in an exciting but sensitive way one of the controversies of our times. And gives a lot of interesting fat-de-rol about bees and beekeeping too. (****)
Hoover, Colleen: Verity
This is an excellent fast-paced thriller with lots of suspense. But the end doesn't wrap things up. But I didn't like the ending at all. One big bad unfleshed toilet. (FYI, and unfleshed toilet is what a college prof of mine called situations in stories that are left hanging with non clear solution.) (****)
Prince Harry: Spare
After reading this book, I fully understand why Harry and Megan fled Britain and the Palace crap. It should be a crime the way this young couple was treated not only by the British media but also by Harry's own family. Enough said. You'll just have to read it for yourself and decide. And you should. (****)
Stevenson, Benjamin: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel
After I got a little comfortable with the manner in which Australian talk (and write),, I really liked this book. Even so, there were some sentences that I have no idea what they said. Lots of characters introduced all at once at the very beginning, which I think was a problem. But there's a great snow and ice storm during which the suspense and some murders take place. So all-in-all, it's a good one. (****)
Hart, Josephine: Damage: A Novel
Damage is the gripping story of a man’s desperate obsession and love affair with his son's fiancee. This was a disturbing book to me, but an even more disturbing movie (Netflix). Still it was well written and exciting but still disturbing. (****)
Kepnes, Caroline: You: A Novel
When a beautiful Guinevere Beck strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card--and Beck now has a stalker on her hands. This is a good boo if you like thrillers. Stephen King calls it hypnotic and scary--and I agree. It's also a Netflix series, but I haven't checked that out yet. (****)
Unger, Lisa: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six: A Novel of Thrilling Suspense
Take a secluded luxury cabin with a dark history, three couples looking forward to a relaxing weekend, a horrendous storm, and a mysterious and dangerous something or somebody hanging around in the dark and what do you got? A spine-tingling thriller. (***)
Hendrix, Grady: We Sold Our Souls: A Novel
If scary stories upset you, I advise against reading this book. It's scary as heck. That said, it's also a gripping story that hooked me right away. I'm not a fan of heavy metal music, but that didn't bother me. Grady Hendrix is an excellent spinner of thrilling stories. His prose is so well crafted and in places almost poetic. One of the best craftsmen writing thrillers today, IMO. (****)
St. James, Simone: The Broken Girls
Vermont 1950. Idlewild is a school for girls that nobody wants. Four of these girls become roommates and fast friends. Jump to 2014. The school has been closed for decades. Nobody lives there anymore except the ghost of Mary Hand. A young journalist and enters the scene to solve the mystery of her murdered sister whose body was found on the school property. A haunting and sometimes sad story. (****)
Connelly, Michael: The Black Echo (A Harry Bosch Novel, 1)
Maverick homicide detective Harry Bosch lives in a stilt house in The Hollywood Hills, which he bought with the proceeds from a book and a tv show that he leant his name to. When a body is discovered in a drain pipe at the Mulholland Dam, the case becomes personal for Harry. It won't be the only body to show up in this, Connelly's first book in his Harry Bosch series. And you'll wonder if Harry, who never met a rule he wouldn't break, might be lucky to come out of it unscathed. I love Harry Bosch, the books and the tv show. (****)
Kurian, Vera: Never Saw Me Coming: A Novel
Chloe is one of seven students at her DC-based college who are part of an unusual clinical study of psychopaths—students like herself who lack empathy and can’t comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. Somebody is murdering the seven--one by one. Chloe holds a murderous grudge against a male student who is not in the study, whom she knows from pre-college times. (***)
Rose, Jeneva: The Perfect Marriage: a completely gripping psychological suspense
The wife is a successful attorney; the husband is a struggling stay-at-home writer. And then there's the mistress who has had other affairs and relationships. Whoever designed the cover of this book was correct in crossing out the word "perfect." This is a whodunit mystery that kept me reading and guessing throughout. (****)
Haines, Carolyn: Booty Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
When Sarah Booth and her critters accompany her fiancé on a Gulf getaway, they encounter all kinds of trouble including a hurricane, a theft, a murder, and romantic heartache. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries and haven't yet met private detective Sarah Booth Delaney and friends, you should really check her out. I love these books. You can find her on Amazon.com. (****)
Prose, Nita: The Maid: A Novel
Molly the Maid is not like everyone else. She doesn't always understand others, and she's quite lacking in social skills. Molly lives alone in her Gran's house, where she has lived all her life. Gran has recently passed, and Molly feels the loss deeply. She works at a luxury hotel, cleaning guest rooms and 'returning them to perfection." When she finds a wealthy guest dead in his bed, Molly's uneventful but orderly life is upended and she is faced with challenges she's not ready to handle. Or is she? (****)
Albanese, Laurie Lico: Hester: A Novel
Hester is the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel THE SCARLET LETTER. This book is not about her. It's about Isobel Gambel, who sails from Scotland to the New World with her husband Edward. After Edward sails away to seek his fortune, Isobel meets and falls in love with young Nathaniel Hawthorne. They have an affair. For fear of letting too many cats out of the bag, I'll say no more. (***)
Hendrix, Grady: The Final Girl Support Group
Not his best book, IMO. In horror movies, the "final girl" is the last one left standing after all the slashing is done. Lynnette Tarkington is a final girl and a member of the support group, the members of which find that their horror is not yet over. (***)
Winman, Sarah: Still Life
1944 Tuscany. A young soldier, a precocious little girl, an art historian named Evelyn, and a surprisingly communicative parrot name Claude are just a few of the many characters in this novel. It has received glowing reviews for it's "beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light." Sad to say, I found most of it quite boring and hard to read. I did like the bird and the little girl though. This is the March selection for my book club. (**)
Feeney, Alice: Rock Paper Scissors
Screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can't recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchanges traditional gifts—paper, cotton, pottery, tin—and each year Adam's wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget. (****)
Nethercott, GennaRose: Thistlefoot: A Novel
The Yaga siblings inherit a house--but this is no ordinary house. It has legs and feet and is mobile. Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home outside Kyiv—but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. (****)
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