Suzanne R

A Simple Murder is set in year 1796 in a Shaker settlement in Maine. The story begins with William Rees, an itinerant weaver who is frantically trying to find his teenage son who has run away to live among the Shakers. He has barely arrived when he finds himself first accused of murder and then working for the Shakers to solve the murder of one of their own. Ably assisted by Lydia Jane Ferrell and his son David, Rees uncovers many secrets and several more murders before resolving the case in true detective fashion. It is an engaging read.

I chose this book because the premise of time travel via journal to meet a heretofore unknown grandfather intrigued me. Unfortunately, the story did not grab me. It was confusing because of the similarity of the character's names, I had to keep flipping back and forth. Not a book I would recommend.

King Peggy is an entertaining and uplifting tale of a humble embassy secretary who becomes king of an African community. Throughout the story of her first 2 years as king, she faces adversity on every hand, from poverty, theft and deceit to triumph in her efforts to create a better life for the people of her kingdom. Through it all, King Peggy's main concern is to improve the lives of the children she rules. King Peggy is part biography and part commentary on life in Ghana's rural communities. It reads like a novel with humor and heartbreak interspersed through the story. I will definitely recommend this book to many of my library patrons.