The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger
Touchstone: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13:
9781501101670
The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger is a very highly recommended
thriller that begs the question "What is the difference between justice
and revenge?" Two women have been through two violent events and
unexpectedly have something in common.
Claudia
Bishop was violently attacked and raped in her own apartment. Her
daughter Raven was born 9 months later and, eventually, her marriage
fell apart. Claudia loves Raven, and her ex-husband, Ayers, considers
Raven his daughter, but they don't know if her conception was a result
of the rape or not. Claudia has been honest about the violent attack,
her anxiety, and her strides toward healing on her blog. Claudia and
Raven take a huge step when they move out to a house in the country that
she inherited. Her father owned it as an investment and rented it out
for years. Claudia is going to blog about their restoration of the old
farmhouse as part of her healing and creating a new life for herself
through the rape and divorce.
Zoey Drake survived a horrific home invasion that left both of her
parents dead. She was supposed to be a victim too, she and her mother
were both tortured by the killers, but she miraculously survived. A
decade after the attack, Zoey is a strong, tough woman who has been
training in the martial arts for years, fueled by the inner rage she
feels. She is looking for revenge. She is the watcher, the Red Hunter,
and it's time for the men who murdered her parents and tried to kill her
to pay for the pain they caused.
Neither Claudia nor Zoey know each other, but the house ties them
together. It is where Zoey's parents were murdered. It is also the fuel
for rumors flying that there is a million dollars hide somewhere in the
house and that is why Zoey's parents were murdered. Zoey has found one
of the men, now an old man, and she has eliminated him. Now she is
searching for the others. When
handyman Josh Beckham is hired by Claudia to assist in some repairs, it
sets into motion a collision between the past and present that will
bring both women back to the house.
The two narratives of this complex thriller/mystery are intricate and
complex. Unger keeps the plot and the action fast-paced through both
storylines until they converge with an explosion of action. The reveals
of additional information are also perfectly planned. All the characters
in this novel are complex and their stories are equally intriguing. The
question of how to handle a violent attack should resonate with many.
Like Claudia, do you try to overcome the anxiety and more on to create a
positive life while facing full-on what happened to you? Or do you take
Zoey's tactical plan and train for years until you know you can defend
yourself and extract revenge on those who hurt you and those you loved?
There are other interesting plot points to this complicated novel too.
Would you want to know if you are your parent's biological child or the
result of a rape? How do you handle a violent traumatic event in your
life? What is your responsibility to a sibling? Lisa Unger has written a
tense page-turner here that should engross most readers.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Touchstone.
The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
MIRA: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 336 pages
ISBN-13:
9780778330721
The Watcher by Ross Armstrong is a recommended novel of suspense with an unreliable narrator.
"Lily Gullick lives with her husband, Aiden, in a brand-new apartment
opposite a building that has been marked for demolition. A keen
bird-watcher, she can't help spying on her neighbors.
Until one
day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars, and soon her
elderly neighbor Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social
divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows
that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as
she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat."
With a nod to Hitchcock's Rear Window, the narrator, Lily,
is watching her neighbors and neighborhood out her window with
binoculars and giving those she sees names, as well as recording what
they are doing. Her husband, Aiden is even writing a book about the
famous director. The Watcher is written in the form of a long
letter or journal entry to a recipient who is identified much later in
the book. As the novel progresses, Lily reveals more about herself and
you will begin to realize that something is off with her and her
responses. Can she be believed?
This is a satisfying debut novel and has several surprises along the way
that you won't see coming - along with some you might. Since Lily is
the only character we have any insight into, we have to view the action
through her perceptions and conclusions - and they will start to feel
skewed after a bit. It is a novel about perception and creates a fair
amount of psychological suspense as the action and Lily's conclusions
become more intense.
Those who enjoy mysteries and like following the point-of-view of one character should certainly look into The Watcher.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of MIRA.
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Random House: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 272 pages
ISBN-13:
9780812989403
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout is a very highly recommended transcendent postscript to My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016). This is a superb novel.
Anything Is Possible returns us to Amgash, Illinois, and explores
the stories found in the lives of others who lived there and the
connections they have to each other and Lucy. This exquisite novel is
told through a series of chapters that are individual stories which
capture the fundamental essence of people's lives (the same approach she
took in Olive Kitteridge). Strout manages to capture the whole
spectrum of human emotions across the years in these perfect individual
but interconnected vignettes.
The themes are timeless, including: the search for love and happiness;
self-respect; faith; the bonds of families; divorce and infidelity; the
gulf between poverty and privilege; violence and abuse; The individual
stories together to create a portrait of a community and those who had
ties to it. Not all the stories are completely sad, but they all have a
melancholy undertone as the characters have faced the complexities of
life and grown from their experiences (or not).
The writing is extraordinary, impeccable, and... just perfect. The
characters and setting in each story are finely drawn and eloquently
described, even when the lives are damaged and struggling.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Random House.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Atria
Books: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 432 pages
ISBN-13:
9781501160769
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is a very highly recommended novel that follows a wildly varied group of citizens from a small
Swedish town obsessed with hockey - but it is about so much more
than that. Beartown is a must-read exceptional novel that I predict will resonate with readers for a long time.
This incredible, profound book is sure to be a contender
for my list of top ten novels for 2017. I'll totally admit that,
during the first part of Beartown, I wasn't so thrilled with
the novel, thinking it was going to be exclusively a hockey story
about a down-on-their luck small town with a winning team in the big
tournament. I love Backman's writing, though, so I continued
reading. Then it became about so much more than hockey and stole my
heart and mind. So my first piece of advice is to keep reading even
if you aren't a hockey fan.
"Beartown's real traditional sports: shame and silence."
Beartown is a small dying town slowly being taken over by the
surrounding forest. The whole town is consumed by hockey and the
junior ice hockey team that is about to compete in the national
semi-finals. These boys actually have a chance at winning, which
could change the luck of the whole town. The team has several great
players, but is lead by an exceptional player, Kevin, and his best
friend, Benji, who is fearless in assisting him. After winning the
semi-final, the teenage boys have a party and an incident at the
party changes everything. Soon the town is tearing itself apart,
taking sides, and making moral choices.
Bachman has a rich cast of characters that populate Beartown - and
the town itself is a character. His
characters are distinct individuals with strengths and weaknesses -
all of his characters. When you are done reading you will know these
people. While many are influenced by the outspoken opinion of others,
there are a few who have the character to stand up for their own
opinions and for themselves. If you've ever grown up in a small town
(likely obsessed by football or basketball in the USA) you have lived in
this town and you know these people. And, of course, there is hockey
too, which becomes a character.
The writing is rich, masterful, and admirable. There are moments of
great failure and overwhelming compassion, scenes of desperate
cruelty and sly
humor, and people with a malicious bent and others with a quiet
wisdom. The empathetic narrative explores love, personal sacrifice,
and the vital importance of family and friendships. This exceptional
novel is part character study, part morality tale, part coming-of-age
story, part family drama, part redemptive tale and totally wonderful.
Just read this novel asap.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of
Atria
Books.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Atria Books: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 352 pages
ISBN-13: 9781501154591
I Found You by Lisa Jewell is a very highly recommended novel of
suspense. This page-turner held my rapt attention from the mysterious
beginning to the satisfying conclusion.
For much of the novel the story follows three different narratives. The first part of the book follows Alice and Lily.
Single mom Alice Lake lives in a seaside town, Ridinghouse Bay in East
Yorkshire. She sees a man just sitting on the beach in the rain. He's
been there for over a day and is soaking wet so she offers him a coat
her former tenant left. She ends up inviting him to stay in her studio
room/guesthouse for the night when it looks like he's simply going to
stay on the beach. The man can't remember who he is or why he'd be at
the beach. Alice's children give him the name Frank.
Twenty-one-year-old
Ukrainian Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks to Carl,
her British husband when he
fails to come home from work one night. She has no idea where he is or
how to find him in England. When she contacts the police and gives them
his passport, she learns from them that his passport is a fake and
officially her
husband, Carl Monrose, never existed. Lily was sure her much older
husband was devoted to her and loved her, so where is he? But maybe more
importantly, who is he?
The second part of the book opens in 1993 when Gray, seventeen, and
Kirsty, fifteen,
are on a summer holiday with their parents. In town and later on the
beach nineteen-year-old Mark makes it clear that he likes Kirsty, while
Gray doesn't quite trust Mark and his intentions toward his sister.
This is a captivating novel where the tension increases with each new
chapter. Who is Frank? Where/who is Lily's husband? What are Mark's
intentions? But the overriding question is how well do you really know
other people? Alice tries to help Frank figure out who he is while Lily
tries to figure out where her husband is. The story of Gray and Kirsty
eventually ties into the other two, but it all happens in a rather
surprising way.
Jewell's writing is admirable, both poetic and descriptive. I Found You is
a well-paced novel that slowly becomes more and more unputdownable with
each chapter. I can honestly say that I was equally interested in each
character and every revelation or question that each new chapter
divulged. The desire to just read one more chapter was almost addictive.
She deftly moves her characters through their chapters and allows the
questions and intrigue to build up while she develops her characters
into believable people. Jewell combines impressive writing with great
character development and wraps it all into a novel where the
psychological suspense and mysteries keep building for a winning
combination.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books.
Burntown by Jennifer McMahon
Knopf Doubleday: 4/25/17
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9780385541367
"Up top, where the college was, where people went to work every day at
the paper mill, that was Ashford. But down here under the bridge where
the women did the snuff, saw visions, and ate fire, this was Burntown."
In 1975, Miles Sandeski saw a man wearing a chicken mask cut his
mother's throat as she lounged in the backyard. Although Miles knew
it wasn't him, his father was accused of the murder and hung himself.
Now Miles has a family, his wife, Lily, and son and daughter, Errol
and Eva. Miles also has the secret plans of an invention design by
Thomas Edison that were given to him by his father. It is for a machine
that will allow people to communication with the dead. Miles builds the
machine, uses it once, and then keeps it covered up in his shop.
Years later the machine warns them of danger. A flood destroys their
home, Miles and Errol are dead, and Lily
and Eva (now known as Necco) have run away to safety, living with a
group of homeless women. These women are where Lily joins a mystical
group of women who call themselves "fire eaters" and snort a red powder
they call "the devil's snuff" which is supposed to give them visions.
When Lily later throws herself off a bridge, Necco (Eva) leaves the
group and lives in an abandoned car with Hermes,
her boyfriend. When another murder happens, Necco realizes that she
is being pursued and targeted by an evil man her mom called "Snake
Eyes."
Along with Necco and the Sandeski's story, Burntown follows the narrative of two others women: Theo,
a high school senior and Pru, the cafeteria lady with a
secret life. The lives of these three characters eventually unite into one storyline.
In Burntown, McMahon presents a satisfying story with a
substantial plot. The story is intriguing with several
mysteries/questions that need answers along with a sense of danger that
follows all of our characters as they try to find the answers. But there
is also an underlying sense of wonder and fascination in several scenes
of the novel that are almost magical. Adding to the narrative are the
many secrets - things aren't always what they seem in the plot and
people - and mystical elements.
The characters are well-defined and developed. Several of the characters
brought to life on the pages are memorable and made reading even more
imperative. Once I started, I simply could not stop reading Burntown. McMahon
is one of my go-to authors for exceptional writing combined with a
compelling plot. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end. Burntown by Jennifer McMahon is a very highly recommended supernatural mystery/thriller.
The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol
Skyhorse Publishing:4/25/17
eBook review copy; 296 pages
ISBN-13:
9781510718326
The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol is highly recommended women's literary fiction.
Lara James is a ad executive with a thriving career and a husband she
adores. After her father's death she devotes herself even more fully to
her career and marries her husband, Will, a college professor her father
knew. The two are immediately attracted to each other. They both devote
themselves to their careers and each other for several years, until
Lara surprises them both by wanting a child. Getting pregnant doesn't
come easy, though, and Lara and Will have to endure years of treatments
and miscarriages until she finally becomes pregnant. When their daughter
Auden is born, though, being a mother isn't as tranquil and calm as
Lara thought it would be.
The Unprotected is well written and will draw you into the story
right away. The novel is also well-paced; I read the book in one sitting
and was engaged through the whole book. Sokol does a nice job
developing Lara's character. She's obnoxious in many ways, but you will
see her behavior patterns as being consistent with her personality. The
infertility problems and miscarriages had me feeling desperately sorry
for her pain. When her daughter is born and she spirals into postpartum
depression, again, I felt her pain.
So, basically, I like The Unprotected, but there are two glaring problems with it.
First Lara is not always a very sympathetic character. It's difficult
to feel compassion for her over her infertility and then postpartum
depression because she is portrayed as being so uncharitable to other
women not on her career path and so incredibly perfect. The only way you
can manage this is to draw on personal experiences, your own experience
or ones shared with you from your own circle of family and friends.
Since so many women have experienced both of these, gathering up empathy
for her was relatively easy, despite her difficult personality.
The second flaw overwhelms what the theme of the novel was supposed to
be, postpartum depression, according to the synopsis, in my opinion. The Unprotected portrays
Lara as a career-minded woman who doesn't want children, but changes
her mind in her late thirties. This is easily understood by many women.
Then we go through her miscarriages and subsequent infertility
treatments. I'm assuming that Sokol wanted to show how much Lara wanted
a child before she actually had one. So many women endure the pain and
loss from miscarriages and fertility problems that Lara's struggles with
this seemed like it could easily carry the narrative of the book. When
she finally gets pregnant, we rush through the pregnancy to her
postpartum depression. Then we endure her suffering with a colicky baby
and no relief. Again, many women have suffered from postpartum
depression and didn't have the ability or foresight to ask for help. In
my opinion, the book would have been stronger had it focused on one
overriding problem - either the infertility and miscarriages, which
devastate many woman but are rarely talked about, or her postpartum
depression, which many woman also suffer through silently.
The Unprotected still deserves a good rating but could have benefited from a tighter focus. (Also, ignore the comparison to We Need to Talk About Kevin.)
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
Fallout by Sara Paretsky
HarperCollins: 4/18/17
eBook review copy; 448 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062435842
V. I. Warshawski Series #18
Fallout by Sara Paretsky is the highly recommended 18th book in
her long-running V. I. Warshawski series. This time the case takes V. I.
out of Chicago to Lawrence, Kansas.
Angela Creedy and Bernadine
Fouchard (Brush Back, 2015) want Warshawski to find Angela's cousin,
August Veriden. The aspiring film maker is missing and the police want
to question him over the
ransacking the Six-Points Gym, where he works as a personal trainer. It
appears that August left Chicago with aging black actress, Emerald
Ferring. The two were headed to Kansas to film a documentary about her
origins. The trail leads to Lawrence, KS, where the University of Kansas
is located and the story evolves into more than simply a search for
missing persons.
In Kansas Warshawski becomes enmeshed with events that happened in 1983
involving a protest at a missile silo outside of the town and plenty of
small town gossip and politics. In response to posters she put up
downtown, Sonia Kiel, the mentally -ll daughter of imminent retired KU
professor Nathan Kiel, contacts Warshawski to tell her where she saw
Emerald and August, but the call ends abruptly. When Warshawski goes to
the bar Sonia called from she finds the woman drugged and unconscious.
Warshawski calls 911, but this marks the first of several calls she will
have to make while unraveling the events of 1983 and how they relate to
her present case.
The plot on this outing does meander a bit off track and loses sight of
the original case for a good chunk of the novel. Paretsky does pull it
all together in the end and solves her case. There are several bad guys
in this novel along with several ill-informed citizens. Warshawski
continues to have an amazing ability to follow the least of clues and
ingratiate herself with the right people while antagonizing the bad
guys.
In the opening "Thanks" Paretsky explains that she grew up in Lawrence
and her father was a professor and researcher at the University of
Kansas. Lawrence is home to KU (1866), but also to Haskell Indian
Nations
University (1884). The population is probably around 90,000, not huge,
but the city is an easy commute to nearby cities, including Topeka and
the KC metro area. There are
numerous colleges and universities nearby. I'm going to have to take
this review a bit personal because of the location Paretsky choose. I
totally get taking a place you knew growing up, and switching things up
to suit your story by using the real location but with a new layout and
altered terrain. I guess what I found rather troubling was her dislike
of Lawrence. It became rather obvious that she harbors some latent
animosity toward the city. I've live in Lawrence for about six years,
but I have yet to encounter the cliquish behavior, city-wide gossip, or
the prejudice she implies still exists. I actually lived in this area of
the country many years ago. After moving several times to cities in
other states across the country, I chose to move back to this area. So,
if you were ever thinking of relocating to the area don't base your
decision on what how this fictional novel portrays Lawrence.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
Chasing Coyotes: Accounts of Urban Crises by Debora Martin
Atlas: 12/12/16
eBook: 192 pages
paperback ISBN-13:
9781945033247
Chasing Coyotes: Accounts of Urban Crises by Debora Martin is a
highly recommended informative guide on the presence and problems of
coyotes in the urban landscape of Orange County, CA, but it can pertain
to coyote populations in other urban areas. The main purpose of the book
is informational and educational, along with being easily accessible to
lay people.
In Chasing Coyotes Martin discusses the history of coyotes in
cities, coyote habitats, and points out ways to coyote "proof" an area.
She also shares stories of coyote attacks on pets and people, especially
children. The stated purpose of Chasing Coyotes is fourfold: "(1) to document the plight of urban
coyotes in North America, (2) to reduce the amount of misinformation
presently circulating about urban coyotes, (3) to remove or reduce any
fear the reader may have of coyotes, and (4) to encourage readers to
haze coyotes every time they see them." Currently there is misinformation and untruths being spread about urban
coyotes by animal rights groups, such as the belief that urban coyotes
control rats. It has been shown that urban coyotes only control mice and
vole rodent populations, not rodent populations such as rats.
Included are ways to discourage coyotes from making your neighborhood
part of their hunting grounds, including "ammonia and white vinegar to
reduce pet odor, picking up pet compost, and keeping pet food and water
dishes inside." You can also "make sure that all fruit is picked up,
secure your trash can lid so coyotes cannot knock them over and get to
their contents, remove bird feeders, install motion-activated lighting
and sprinkler systems, and increase the amount of outdoor lighting....
Low-lying bushes should be removed, and bushes and trees should be cut
back, in order to reduce the number of potential coyote hiding places.
Your objective is to create a hostile environment for the coyote by
making your home and neighborhood coyote-unfriendly."
Martin discusses pets she has personally lost to coyotes in her
neighborhood. She makes it clear that you should never show fear to,
turn your back on, or run from a coyote because they might view you as
prey. You should never feed a coyote or take pictures of it. This
encourages them to not fear humans, creating a potential dangerous
situation. If possible haze any coyote you see. Martin explains how to
haze a coyote: Raise your arms and wave them while approaching the
coyote - be loud and large! Use noisemakers (your voice, whistles, air
horns, bells, and soda cans filled with pennies or dead batteries. (Be
sure to familiarize your dog to this noise.) Use projectiles (e.g.,
sticks,
small rocks, cans, tennis balls, rubber balls). Try other repellents
(such as hoses, water guns with vinegar water, spray bottles with
vinegar water, pepper spray, bear repellent, and walking sticks).
Sometimes coyotes will test you by pausing in their tracks and standing
their ground, but continue hazing and chasing them until they leave the
area and are out of sight.
Included in the book are a list of Coyote Preparedness References. There
are several urban areas that record and track coyote sightings in their
areas and compile a database of information. Be sure to see if your
city has a website with coyote information and a place to report
sightings of coyotes. If you have ever lived in a city or urban area
where there are populations of coyotes preying on pets you will
appreciate this book and the information it contains. While some of the
text is repetitive when discussing actions to take, in this case it
might help the casual reader remember what to do when a coyote is
sighted.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch
HarperCollins: 4/18/17
eBook review copy; 288 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062383273
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch is a highly recommended literary post-apocalyptic reimagined Joan of
Arc story.
It is 2049. The Earth is a burned-out, lifeless husk due to world wars,
global
geological catastrophes, and solar flares. Wealthy humans, or what they
have evolved into, are living on CIEL, a suborbital complex hovering
above the Earth. Human are currently all sexless, hairless, and
completely white. Christine Pizan, 49, remembers life on earth before
CIEL, but now she resembles the other inhabitants. The residents of CIEL
are not allowed to live past age 50, to save resources. They also
practice body modification and cover themselves in scars and skin
grafts. Christine specializes in skin stories, an electrosurgical
branding of words on skin grafts. On her body, Christine is telling the
story of Joan of Dark, a child and echo-terrorist who had a mysterious
power and communicated directly with the Earth. When Christine dies,
Joan's story, as branded/written on her skin, will continue
Joan fought against Jean de Men for the Earth. He is a charismatic and
bloodthirsty cult leader who waged war against Joan and currently rules
CIEL as a quasi-corporate police
state. De Men turned Joan into a martyr, putting her execution on
display - but her story is not over. Christine is planning a rebellion
with others to seize control from de Men and she also learns that Joan
is still alive on Earth. She is also hoping she can save her beloved
friend, Trinculo.
This speculative fiction novel is told in three books, the first
narrative is through Christine's point-of-view, the second is Joan's
story, and the third concludes the story. The writing is incredible -
literary, poetic. Yuknavitch is a wordsmith who delights in language and
the passion and horror words can communicate. The Book of Joan
is firmly a feminist point-of-view and confronts the questions of
sexuality, love, and the fluidity of genders, along with the need to
rebel against tyrannical leaders with no compassion or humanity. It begs
the question: What does it mean to be human? To love?
I delighted in some of the wording Yuknavitch used in The Book of Joan.
While the poetic, literary, and lyrical wording was extraordinary, and
is its own literary achievement, the actual plot needed a little bit of
clarification, additional explanation, more story. No one will question
the quality of the writing; it is the context that became perplexing at
times. In some ways this novel is almost too ambitious for the goals
set before it. In the end I took great delight in the writing but felt
dissatisfied by the actual flow of the narrative. While the characters
are developed and there is change and growth, the
notion of character development doesn't seem to directly apply to The Book of Joan - except for Joan.
The Book of Joan is highly recommended, but for a specific
audience. If you like literary novels with a science fiction setting and
take delight in words and their usage, it's a good choice. If you like
a good epic, post-apocalyptic science fiction story, you might feel let
down by the lack of a fluid, well-appointed plot.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day
HarperCollins: 4/11/17
trade Paperback: 432 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062560292
The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day is a very highly recommended
compelling mystery/novel psychological suspense. I found it compulsively
readable and unputdownable.
Anna Winger is a handwriting analyst who sometimes works with the FBI
and law enforcement as well as for private citizens. Anna can look at
original samples of handwriting and deduce more about a person than they
may want to reveal. She has also been constantly on the move for the
last thirteen years in an attempt to hide from her former violent,
abusive boyfriend. This time she and Joshua, her thirteen-year-old son,
have ended up in a small town in Parks, Indiana. She avoids friendships
and any ties with the community she's living in so she can pack up Josh
and leave the moment something seems threatening.
Then her FBI contact refers her to
Parks Sheriff Russ Keller to assist in the investigation and search for
a missing toddler by looking at some written material left behind. The
sheriff is reluctant to trust her analysis and she is reluctant to get
involved in this small town case. Anna agrees to help, but it places her
in close contact with the community and the ghosts of her past. The
mother of the toddler is also missing and it seems like the father might
be abusive, all of which strikes too close to home for Anna. Did the
mother of the boy stage their disappearance to escape abuse?
To complicate matters even more, Josh is starting to rebel, by talking
back, hiding his activities, and acting out. Is it because he is a teen
or is his behavior linked to the friends he has made in Parks? When Josh
disappears too, Anna must disclose parts of her personal life to try
and find her son. Her biggest fear is that he went to look for a man he
never met, his father, and Anna will have to return to her hometown to
find him and confront her past.
Although Anna is very guarded with details into her past, we slowly
learn more about her as we also learn more about the case the sheriff is
trying to solve - and as she tries to find her son. While the buildup
is slow to start, the narrative picked up the pace rather dramatically
and then took off at a gallop. Anna is a great character, fully
developed and interesting. She has amazing powers of observation and
notices many small clues and details along the way.
The writing is excellent and kept my attention throughout, especially as
it opens with the titular "On the day I died..." The unraveling of the
clues in the intricate cases are interlaced with the slow reveal of
Anna's past and what she has been running from for all these years. It
all makes for a masterful novel of mystery and suspense along with a
powerful statement about abuse. There
is a twist that, upon reflection, seems too convenient, but I
overlooked it as the action was pretty intense at that point. Once you
get through the slow-ish set up, the action and information increase
exponentially to the satisfying conclusion.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this
book from HarperCollins.
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Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night by Jason Zinoman
HarperCollins: 4/11/17
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062377210
Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night by Jason Zinoman is a
highly recommended biography for anyone who was a fan of Letterman.
Zinoman looks at the legacy left by Letterman's career which spanned
more than thirty years, beginning with his college broadcasting career,
to Late Night with David Letterman, the Late Show with David Letterman,
and up to his retirement in 2015. Rather than focusing extensively on
his personal life, which is mentioned as it relates to his career, this
account concentrates on his career and how he redefined talk shows.
It has never been in doubt that Letterman shaped the humor and the
format of current talk shows. Although much has been said or speculated
about Letterman's personal life and reclusive nature, Letterman is the
quintessential originator of the current talk show model. Pulling no
punches, Zinoman covers the difficulties between Letterman and the
show's employees and writers, especially Merrill Markoe, who shared a
long
professional and personal connection with Letterman. He mentions the
recurring characters written into (especially) the early shows. Letterman also does not shy away from noting the personal toll fame extracted on the iconic talk show host.
During the beginning of his national broadcasting career I was in
college and a perfect audience for his irreverent, mocking, sarcastic
humor. After watching some of his morning show in 1980, I started
watching Late Night with David Letterman (1982-92) almost nightly during
the beginning of his career and through his switch in 1993 from NBC to
CBS, although my viewing began to taper off toward the later years. I
vividly remember many of the early shows or stunts shared in Letterman,
and how I laughed uncontrollably over a stunt or sarcastic
comment/joke, which was the talk of all the (dare I say) hip, young
crowd the next day. In fact, David Letterman is an integral part of
popular culture over several generations.
Zinoman did plenty of research and interviews for the book and has notes
for each chapter. He includes quotes in the text from many inside
sources and personalities associated with Letterman's career.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
Tell Me How This Ends Well by David Samuel Levinson
Hogarth: 4/4/17
eBook review copy; 416 pages
ISBN-13:
9780451496881
Tell Me How This Ends Well by David Samuel Levinson is a
highly recommended novel featuring black humor, a dysfunctional family,
and an anti-Semitic America.
It's 2022 and the Jacobson family is gathering
for Passover in Los Angeles. Jacobson siblings Mo, Edith, and Jacob are
also plotting to kill their father, the despicable, abusive Julian who
has made their lives and their mother Roz's life miserable. Now Roz only
has a few months left to live and the siblings are sure Julian is
trying to hurry her death along so he can have complete control of her
inherited fortune. After putting up with his emotional, verbal, and
sometimes physical abuse for years and watching their mother's plight,
it is time to end Julian's reign of terror while the whole family is
together to celebrate Passover. This is assuming, naturally, that the
three can work together and put old grudges aside.
The novel is told in four large sections by each of the siblings and Roz. Then there is a final word by Jacob.
Jacob
Jacobson is the gay son who is currently a playwright living in
Berlin with his German lover, Dietrich. Jacob and Dietrich have traveled
together for what Jacob is sure will be the last time he sees his
mother alive.
Edith Jacobson Plunkett, or Thistle, is currently a divorced college
ethics professor who has a sexual harassment suit filed against her.
Moses Orenstein-Jacobson, or Mo, is an actor married to Pandora. They
have triplets and twins, all boys, and starred in their own reality TV
show called The JacobSONS! The family is meeting at their home, where
the Passover Seder will be filmed as a special episode of The JacobSONS!
Rosalyn Jacobson, or Roz, the mother of the three, has a surprising chapter of revelations and insights.
Along with the back stories of the four and the current murder plot of
the three siblings, there is also plenty of insight into all the abuse
Julian heaped upon his family. Julian is a truly evil character with no
redeeming qualities at all and continues in the novel to verbally and
physically abuse his family. You will want to see him get what he
deserves and appreciate the black humor as his demise is debated. The
siblings are not lovable characters either, but even with all of their
flaws they are definitely better than Julian.
Added to the whole grim atmosphere is the less humorous and more
insidious anti-Semitism running rampant in this not-to-distant-future
America. In 2022 Israel is no
more, after a war
during which the United States did nothing. Now 4 million Jewish
refugees have
relocated to the U.S., which has resulted in a violent xenophobic
reaction and
constant domestic terrorism.
Tell Me How This Ends Well is very well written and I liked the
chapters narrated from the point-of-view of an individual sibling. The
characters are extremely well-developed. While some of the action is a
bit farcical, it is entertaining - and disturbing. The best part of the
novel is the inept plotting of the three siblings. Some of their actions
and reactions are humorous and make the novel a pleasure to read. The
increasing and ever present anti-Semitism is just disturbing and
upsetting; it is perhaps a bit too realistic in this particular setting.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Hogarth.
Feral by James DeMonaco and B. K. Evenson
Anchor Books: 4/4/17
eBook review copy; 320 pages
ISBN-13:
9781101972700
Feral by James DeMonaco and B. K. Evenson is a recommended take on a zombie-like apocalypse.
"The world, as it turned out, didn’t end in either a bang or a whimper,
but in pus and sweat and infected men emitting unearthly cries as they
destroyed woman after woman." This change to the genetic makeup of men
happened after a fire at Arcon Pharmaceutical, a research company that
was work with living viruses and genetic splicing, released a dangerous
virus that only infects men. Now men have been reduced to feral, savage
beasts who sniff out women to kill them.
Allie Hilts was sixteen when the change happened. Now, three years after
the accident, Allie has found a safe place for her and her little
sister Kim. They are living with other female survivors in a walled off
compound surrounded by land mines and protected by guard towers to kill
any feral that approaches. Allie, though, has changed. She is now a
killing machine. Rather than staying safe behind the walls, she masks
her scent by covering her body with feral blood and goes out to scavenge
for needed supplies or to capture a feral. She brings the captured
ferals back for Dr. Zeman to experiment on in her attempt to find a cure
to save the human race. But something odd is happening and Allie needs
to figure out what it is so she can protect Kim.
Feral starts out quickly and gallops off at a break-neck pace
full of narrow escapes and action. It is a quick read and you'll finish
it in no time at all. Feral reads like a zombie novel, where men
are zombies and women survivors. Allie is a clever, resourceful
character and it
is easy to support her. The narrative is told through multiple
points-of-view, with Allie being
the dominate character. While some of the other voices make sense (Dr.
Zeman, Kim), there are narratives told through secondary characters that
muddy the plot and their interactions could have been written into one
of the main character's chapters.
I did have a couple of concerns about Feral. Because I was
reading a review copy, which I am sure was still an uncorrected proof, I
will refrain commenting on the actual quality of the writing. There
were multiple problems that were probably corrected for print. The other
issue I had while reading was a vague
this-is-being-written-to-propose-a-series feeling that I couldn't shake.
It would come out in random scenes that were unnecessary, certain
characters and actions, and the direction the story took, which was
disconcerting and beyond belief even for a men-have-become-zombies
novel. This is probably due to a director working with a writer to
create the book. Feral is a solid airplane book for me.
It is an engaging book that will hold your attention but you won't cry if you lose it or misplace it while traveling.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Anchor Books.
Invitation by Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, Alton Gansky
Baker Publishing group: 4/4/17
eBook review copy; 352 pages
ISBN-13:
9780764219740
Cycle One of the Harbingers Series
Invitation is a collection of four interconnected stories by
authors Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, and Alton Gansky. This
volume contains the first four stories in the Harbingers Series, an
ongoing series with additional stories already available that was
created by these Christian authors. In the series a team of four widely
diverse people join together to use their individual skills to solve a
mystery or help someone.
The author's set up two rules for their collaboration:
Rule #1 Each author would write as one of the characters in
the series: Bill Myers's character is Brenda, the street-hustling tattoo
artist who sees images of the future. Frank Peretti's character is the
professor, the atheist ex-priest ruled by logic. Angela Hunt's character
is Andi, the professor’s brilliant but geeky assistant who sees
inexplicable patterns. Alton Gansky's character is Tank, the naïve,
big-hearted jock with a surprising connection to a healing power.
Rule #2 They would write the stories like a TV series with an
overarching storyline. The series part would be their individual
stories, novellas, written from their character’s point of view.
The first four stories in this volume include:
"The Call" by Bill Myers: We are introduced to the characters and their first team effort to
help a student at the Institute for Advanced Psychic
Studies.
"The Haunted" by
Frank Peretti: The four try to solve a murder mystery centered around a mysterious house.
"The Sentinels" by Angela Hunt: Animals are
mysteriously dying and discovered with their eyes missing.
"The Girl" by Alton Gansky: A young barefoot girl is found
holding a scroll after walking for miles in the snowy countryside.
There is no doubt that the writing is excellent and the individual
stories are compelling; however, there are some pros and cons to the
series. The premise that the stories are written like a TV series, with
each story/author focusing on one character, is unique. This makes it
easy to quickly read one story and know the next one will be a new
adventure from a different character's point-of-view. This is also the
downfall of the series - or at least this first volume. Because it is
written as an ongoing series and this volume is just the first four
stories, there is no concluding resolution and the character growth is
limited. Invitation is only the first four of the sixteen
individual stories already written for the series. In the end the real
questions for readers are: Do you like episodic ongoing stories? How
much time are you willing to invest in an ongoing series?
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
