The year is approximately 2060, the place, San Francisco. Climate crisis has caused water levels in the city to rise two floors high, making only third floor and up livable.

Bo, an artist, lives on an upper floor in a high rise and has stalled in her painting. Her grief for …more her mother who disappeared when the flooding happened paralyzes her. Bo gives up opportunities to leave and go to higher ground with other family as she cannot bear to leave in case her mother returns.

But then she answers a call to care for Mia, a 130 year old with bad knees and fascinating life stories. As Bo cares for Mia, she transfers some of her grief and need for a mother figure into Mia, which culminates in a work of art that breaks her out of her ennui.

This is a quietly interesting look at history, trauma, and human connection in a time unfathomable but possible. (less)

Aubrey Merritt makes detective work look easy. In fact, she's so good at her work that that she's in demand and needs to take on an assistant to help her get everything done. Enter Emily Blunt, a young news fact-checker who is tying to make her rent and prepare for a …more wedding to her equally poor fiancée. She thinks she has no chance at working with Aubrey Merritt, but applies anyway. Not only is she hired, but Emily manages to outlast Merritt's prior two assistants by a month when the famous detective invites her on a detecting trip to the Wild Goose resort on Lake Champlain.

The death of matriarch Victoria Summersworth casts a shadow on her stepchildren, workers in the resort, accountant, and recent romantic interest. Olivia knows that she must prove herself to the brilliant detective, but her instincts need some honing. After several botched detecting moves, Olivia finds herself in over her head.

This who-done-it is a slow burn with many characters and suspects, twists, and confounding storylines. The action is believable with only one cliched instance of a hiding character accidentally making a noise that gives them away—a pet peeve of mine. Aside from that, I enjoyed the narrative and character development of the family, but I wished for more relationship building between Olivia and Merritt. Aubrey Merritt is a tough nut and while she does have a soft spot for her protege, she is a critical parent figure to Olivia where she could be more of a mentor.

Still, there is some redemption at the end of the book that is worth the wait and the possibility of another book with the pair continuing to strengthen their working relationship. I would read a sequel to follow their adventures. (less)

How do others help us heal ourselves? The four strangers who meet weekly at seven o'clock have each suffered a loss they cannot heal on their own. Genevieve, their capable group facilitator, tries a new approach with them. Through rotating points of view, each member tells …more pieces of their stories as well as takes turns narrating their group sessions. The narration is heavy on the telling, lighter on the showing.

This storyline was a slow burn for me. I found the first 3/5ths a little uneventful. But reader patience pays off with the reveal of Genevieve's special strategy. The twist—that I did not see coming!—redeems the slow first half of the book and gives the last chapters new energy. (less)