Recent Reader Reviews

"Long After We Are Gone" by Terah Shelton Harris is a compelling and evocative exploration of family, secrets, and redemption. The novel centers around the Solomon siblings, who return to their North Carolina home, known as “The Kingdom,” following their father’s unexpected death to save their ancestral land from being sold. Their father's last words, “Don't let the white man take The Kingdom,” set the stage for a powerful family drama.

The characters in this novel are incredibly relatable and endearing, each with their own set of flaws and vulnerabilities. I couldn't help but like them all, despite their imperfections and the questionable choices they sometimes made. Junior, the eldest, is secretly in love with another man despite being married. Mance, the second son, struggles with his temper and legal troubles. CeCe, the eldest daughter, faces the consequences of embezzling money from her firm’s clients. Tokey, the youngest, grapples with her sense of belonging and harmful coping mechanisms. Each sibling's struggle is depicted with sensitivity and depth, making their journeys both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Ellis, who was treated like one of the siblings, was a voice of reason and an anchor for the siblings.

A Lonesome Place For Dying is the first book to feature Ethan Brand by award-winning Canadian-born author, Sam Wiebe, writing as Nolan Chase. On the morning he’s due to take over from Police Chief Frank Keogh in the Washington State border town of Blaine, someone has left on Ethan Brand’s doorstep a heart (too large to be human) and a printed note telling him to leave. Ethan is not inclined to leave his home town: he heads off to work.

Before he can even be sworn in by the mayor, he’s out by the railway line near Mo’s scrapyard, examining the body of a young woman. She has been stabbed, but there’s nothing to identify her, nor any sign of how she got there.

There are quite a few candidates potentially responsible for the gory warning (which soon escalates to a death threat), including a disgruntled suspended cop, rivals for the position of chief, criminals whose activities he has curtailed, and a romantic indiscretion, but Ethan has to put that aside to focus on solving the murder (and proving his suitability as chief).

While he has a handful of conscientious and competent officers who between them manage to give the Jane Doe a name and find other evidence, Ethan is frustrated that his two senior officers are squabbling rather than working as a team.

Diligent investigation uncovers an impersonation, another murder and a missing person. As well, there’s a white-suited character in town who looks and acts very much like a hit-man: who is paying him and who might be his target? Ethan is convinced the local drug smugglers, the McCandless family must be involved.

Ethan is an interesting protagonist, a lawman with integrity, insight and intelligence, and a few quirks (his chess game with the diner waitress, his fondness for the blue-eyed coyote, his rapport with various locals, his naivete with the non-binary journalist) that will endear him to the reader.

Chase gives the reader cleverly-plotted crime fiction with a few twists and surprises, a dramatic climax and a very satisfactory resolution. He easily evokes his setting, and Jerry Todd’s cover is striking. Chase has set up the town and its inhabitants with plenty of scope for further books in this location, and more of this cast would be most welcome.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

The writing. Oh, the writing. This is one of those books that demands to be reread—even if it's just a paragraph here and a page there. The writing is masterful, lyrical, and nearly poetic. And this is only one of the reasons this profound, haunting novel by Jayne Anne Phillips won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The book opens in 1874 when Eliza and her 12-year-old daughter are being driven in a wagon to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia. It is not only the men who fought in the Civil War who are suffering psychologically from the trauma it wreaked. How and why they are here is the heart and soul of this heartbreaking plot that jumps back and forth in time from 1864 to 1874 in a way that is seamless and brilliant—as in, this is the best possible way to tell the story. The plot is convoluted and to reveal anything else here would be revealing spoilers. Suffice it to say that there are several gut-punch plot twists/revelations that left me almost breathless they were so stunning.

In addition to the ingenious, multilayered plot and good old-fashioned storytelling, the characters, who are doing what it takes to survive in unimaginably difficult circumstances, make this emotionally searing novel special. They feel like real people—from their actions and dialogue to the descriptions of their clothing.

While it took a few chapters to get fully immersed in the story, once I did, I was captivated…totally mesmerized. Sometimes I would look up from the page and wonder where I was. This is literary fiction at its finest.

The House At Sea’s End is the third book in the Ruth Galloway series by award-winning British author, Elly Griffiths. Trace and Irish Ted lead a team of archaeologists conducting a survey on coastal erosion when one of them stumbles across what turns out to be a mass grave in a ravine under the cliff below the home of MEP Jack Hastings: six skeletons with bullet wounds, hands bound behind their backs.

Dr Ruth Galloway, back at work now that Kate is five months old, helps with the rush job to remove them before the tide takes them. The autopsies determine that the men were likely executed; Ruth estimated the remains are less than a century old, aged between 21 and 40; her tests reveal they were probably from Germany. A German journalist turns up on Ruth’s doorstep and gives them names.

DCI Harry Nelson has a historic multiple murder case on his hands, and something that the Hastings matriarch says sends him looking for members of the local Home Guard, one of whom is the grandfather of his Superintendent, Gerald Whitcliffe. These men would be his best chance for information about the deaths. It turns out, though, that of these old men, High Anselm, who alerted the journalist to the murders, has died recently, apparently of a stroke.

Archie Whitcliffe, when Nelson talks to him, says a few cryptic things, including something about a blood oath, things that cannot be later clarified when the man dies that night. His carer says his enigmatic last word was Lucifer, and Nelson is not convinced he died a natural death, which has him also wondering about Hugh Anselm’s demise.

As Nelson and the soon-to-be-married DS Judy Johnson search for elderly Broughton residents who might recall the events of almost seventy years previous, as they page through old parish bulletins and sort through Hugh Anselm’s papers, a body washes up on the beach, and it isn’t an accidental drowning or a fall from the cliff. It is beginning to look like someone wants the circumstances of the deaths to remain secret.

In this instalment, as well as digging up bones and lecturing students, Ruth endures (rather than enjoys) a hen party, solves a secret code, attends a wedding, irretrievably loses her mobile phone, is criticised for her mothering, and almost drowns. There’s both a naming ceremony and a baptism for baby Kate, a Bosnian archaeologist comes for a short stay, and Nelson gets the kiss of life. The final body count, if a historical suicide is included, runs to an even ten. And with lots of speculation going on, the secret of Kate’s paternity looks to be on thin ice. The fourth book, A Room Full Of Bones, is eagerly anticipated.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this page-turning coming-of-age YA (young adult) novel about a Korean high schooler’s journey as she discovers her identity both on and off the plate.

Jackie Oh turns to cooking as therapy – to relieve the stress her parents have heaped on her to go to an ivy league college, especially since she’s not naturally a high achiever in school. And her older brother is in prison which is sad for everyone. Author Patricia Park says” From repurposing leftovers at her grandparents’ Manhattan deli to competing on the TV cooking show Burn Off!, food feels like a problem Jackie can actually solve in a world that makes zero sense.”

I loved the relationship Jackie has with her grandparents. Their conversations are both humorous and heartwarming. She watches the cooking show Burn Off! with her grandparents and describes how they bonded: “It was a show I didn’t have to translate into English, and they didn’t have to translate into Korean. Food is like the universal language.”

Throughout the novel Jackie is learning about herself and often fighting stereotypes: gender, ethnicity, family, etc. “Every day,” says Jackie, “I walk around feeling like I’m carrying an invisible backpack full of stress bricks. On top of my actual backpack loaded with textbooks, notebooks, and my laptop. I just feel all this pressure weighing down on me, all the time.”

The story is told in Jackie’s first person, so we learn about her and what makes her happy: “Recipe-making is my mental happy place.” She also admits, “I’m obsessed with leftovers – each time you cook something, you have to think of how you’ll transform its afterlife.” And “In the kitchen, I’m in my zone. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I love cooking so much. Being in the kitchen helps me shut out all the scary nonsense from the outside world. Cooking is my therapy.”

Patricia Park says, “This novel was inspired by two things: My love of cooking with leftovers, and the fears and frustrations those in my community have faced over anti-AAPI hate. I’ve spoken with many students across the country like Jackie, who don’t understand why they and their family are being targeted. Who, like Jackie, cannot make sense of this moment and are done being “model minorities.” To my fellow Asians in America, who are tired of being pushed around (literally, metaphorically) – I also dedicate this book to you.”

I enjoyed this book, which is both realistic and humorous. The ending surprised me (no spoilers) and I think it would be a great book to read in a group and discuss together. Plus, there are recipes!

THE HUNTER is Tana French's continuation of THE SEARCHER and its story of Cal, an American retired detective who has moved to a small town in Ireland; Trey, a teenaged girl in that town who is still set on righting the wrong that was the subject of THE SEARCHER; and the rest of Cal's neighbors, most of whom made me wonder at the end of the last book why he did not just leave and still make me wonder if he will. He should.

I've read all of French's books, and they normally rate five stars. But I don't rate THE HUNTER that way for two reasons: first, unlike most of French's books, this one has a slow beginning. Second, THE HUNTER assumes you have already read THE SEARCHER and remember all the particulars of the murder in that book. I did read it but did not remember everything. This was troublesome.

But (and this is a big but) French's writing, especially her dialogue, is as first rate as ever right from the start. You'll never want to give up on this book.

So you'll read about Cal and Trey and their neighbors again, including Lena, Cal's love interest who shares his concern for Trey, and Mart, the neighbor from hell, in my opinion, who pretends to be neighborly.

But there's not much action until another murder occurs almost halfway through the book. Anyone in the town could have done it, even someone from outside the town; the victim, Rushborough, was a despicable man.

Another man the town would like to get rid of is Johnny, Trey's father, who has come back after a 4-year absence, a man who loves no one but himself. He and Rushborpugh had come up with a scheme to sell these people on the idea that there was gold on their land. They were almost successful.

All in all, this town does not seem like a good place to live. I don't understand why Cal doesn't just get out of there. It's a beautiful piece of Ireland but full of trouble. If French continues this series, I think she's going to have to deal with that.

A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery by Lawrence Ingrassia is a very highly recommended deeply personal memoir of a family's medical tragedies merged with a medical thriller of cancer research as scientists work to discover answers.

Lawrence Ingrassia's family story is one where death from cancer is prevalent. In his family Ingrassia lost his mother, two sisters, brother, and nephew to different kinds of cancer at different points in their lives. In the 1960s his family became one of several that intrigued Dr. Frederick Pei Li and Dr. Joseph Fraumeni Jr. in their research into why some families experienced so many deaths by cancer. They began collecting records and analyzing data to understand cancer clusters in some families.

They published their results in a paper which showed that there was likely a genetic component involved and this discovery was named the Li–Fraumani Syndrome. Their paper was first published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, and wasn't widely known. Later genetic researchers were intrigued by the syndrome and with help from Li and Fraumani and the samples they collected from families they were able to discover a mutation in the p53 gene. This inherited mutation is responsible for the higher risk of cancer. Its discovery was groundbreaking in cancer research and offers hope for potential future research.

Ingassia does an excellent job sharing his family's and others deeply personal and emotional stories while also covering how the cancer research of Li and Fraumeni’s and others evolved. The merging of the personal tragedies with the ground breaking discoveries work well together and help create a tension and anticipation for some hopeful discovery for a future cure. The question of genetic research in regards to ethical considerations and personal privacy is also considered. Thanks to Henry Holt & Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is a highly recommended in-depth look at the months between Lincoln’s November 1860 election and the surrender of Fort Sumter which lead up to the Civil War.

Larson brings to bear his penchant for presenting extensive historical research in a vivid, compelling manner in the telling the story of a deeply divided nation and the events leading up to the start of the Civil War. "At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans."

For those who enjoy any and all historical accounts surrounding the Civil War, The Demon of Unrest will be a welcomed addition to your library. This has been hailed as one of the most anticipated books of the year. Personally, ever since I read Isaac's Storm, still a favorite, reading any new Eric Larson book is a necessity. The presentation was compelling and the research is extensive, but I'll sheepishly admit I wanted the narrative to move along just a little bit faster. However, I know several Civil War buffs who will revel in the details.

In the opening Larson does write, “I was well into my research on the saga of Fort Sumter and the advent of the American Civil War when the events of January 6, 2021, took place.” Rather than be so specific and pinning the current ideological divisions on one day, it might have behooved him to simply say that turmoil and division between Americans is present again. Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

I LOVE reading books! However, I usually first borrow books from the library (occasionally from family/friends) and then if I feel the novel deserves five stars AND I would happily re-read it, I will purchase it for my own collection.  This is primarily because I have limited space and limited funds. Occasionally I do buy a work of fiction immediately-when it is part of a series I already have or it is just so intriguing I am 100 confident it meets my criteria.

I was surprised by how quickly I became engrossed in Leigh Bardugo's latest book, "The Familiar."   I have other works by Bardugo, but it usually takes a chapter or two for me to become totally invested in the characters, setting and plot.  Luzia is a strong protagonist who unfortunately lives during the time of the Spanish Inquisition.  She is a converso (one of the Jewish faith who converts to the Catholic religion to stay alive) and an orphan and  a destitute servant, forced to sleep on a dirt floor and work constantly with no hope of a better life.  She is intelligent (having learned how to read as a child) and ambitious-yearning to improve her lot.  She is also gifted with a talent for magic (restoring broken items/healing injuries) and once her mistress, Valentina discovers this power things begin to get interesting.

She is forced to perform and we get to go along for the ride.  We watch her grow and discover her true nature and just how powerful she can be and also find love for the first time with Santangel-an immortal man who is not a good person.  We also see Valentina  blossom as a better woman and realize her husband, Marius, will never make her happy.   There are evil priests, there are powerful wealthy men with their own agendas, and an aunt that is more concerned with her own survival than really helping her niece..
Bardugo weaves a captivating tale, full of detail and richly constructed personalities.  It is difficult to put down!   It is ideal for those who love historical fiction and those who love literary fiction.   I am grateful to BookBrowse and Flatiron Books for the ARC- but I definitely would have gone out to buy it!! It is a keeper!!

“Prophet Song” by Paul Lynch would seem like a novel stunt if many award-winning Irish books did not seem similar. There are not many paragraph breaks and quotation marks here. You get the point of dystopian suffering even when unsure what is happening. Although this is fiction, it echoes the complicated fears of the Irish today.

Eilish Stack is a typical Irish wife and mother. Still, her husband is a trade unionist for the country’s workers, a controversial position that results in his sudden capture and eerie interrogation. Ireland descends into chaos and confusion, and the author has the challenge of projecting the nation's bewilderment without confusing the readers. Their leaders are paranoid, vicious, and suffocating.

There is a lot of detailed setup and character development, but I was most interested in the main plot’s story arc: this woman living without her husband and at risk of losing her son. Eilish hangs onto the past because nothing about their future seems promising.

History reminds us that The Troubles eventually improved, but we do not see it coming here in Dystopia.
The echoes of modern culture, where doubt and skepticism surround news from specific sources, resonate strongly. When the government controls information, confusion reigns. The depiction of war from within adds an extra layer of mayhem, mirroring the complexities of our world. The perspective of an innocent resident creates a palpable sense of claustrophobia, drawing the reader into the narrative.

The writing style, characterized by long sentences and much longer paragraphs, may initially feel overwhelming. However, it quickly immerses you in the narrative, intensifying the sense of loss and bewilderment. This is not a book for those seeking an easy, low-key read. The subject matter and writing quirks ensure a challenging, thought-provoking experience.