The Woman in the Library

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
6/7/22; 288 pages
Sourcebooks

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a highly recommended, entertaining story-within-a-mystery novel.

Australian mystery writer author Hannah Tigone is writing a new novel and Leo Johnson, a fan and aspiring writer is corresponding with her and offering to be a beta reader for her new novel. In the novel Australian writer Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid has received a writing fellowship that has her staying in Boston. While in the Boston Public Library looking for writing inspiration, Freddie is secretly observing her fellow table mates when a scream is heard that starts a conversation between the four. Marigold, Whit, Cain, and Freddie, become friends and we know from her first chapter that one of them is a killer.

The dual narrative alternates between emails from Leo to Hannah which include writing suggestions and hope that the two writers can meet soon and chapters from the new mystery novel featuring Freddie. In both of the narratives there is a story that is unfolding. There is an impending sense of trepidation as the tension increases in the murder mystery Hannah is writing. Leo's correspondence is full of suggestions and initially is supportive but about half way through the book some outside information comes to light that results in Leo's letters take on a whole new dimension.

This is a fun, entertaining inventive novel with interesting characters. The dual narratives adds interest and both are unpredictable in very different ways. While I found the novel and the two perspectives entertaining, I can't say I was wholly invested in the totality of the novel until it was well underway. Some parts seemed slow moving, nevertheless, I was engaged enough to keep reading and was pleased with some of the turns the plot takes, the detective work of Freddie, and the unexpected surprises and new information that was revealed. This is a novel that would benefit from being able to read it quickly.

The characters are all sufficiently developed, with the exception of the writer, Hannah, so readers will be guessing who is the killer. I did find the sudden, intense friendship of the four a bit unrealistic, but it is necessary to move that story along. The narrative with the four instant friends does contrast nicely with Leo's epistolary narrative.

I enjoyed The Woman in the Library and found it entertaining. One suggestion would be to stick this one out through the slow start until you reach the point where the narratives both pick up and become compelling. The conclusions of both narratives are very satisfying.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

The Midcoast

The Midcoast by Adam White
6/7/22; 336 pages
Random House

The Midcoast by Adam White is a highly recommended debut novel examining a family striving to achieve wealth and status in the town of Damariscotta, Maine

Ed and Steph Thatch have risen from a modest beginning to a place of wealth and prominence in Damariscotta. Andrew, a high school English teacher and coach, has recently moved his family back to Maine due to the lower cost of living there. He knew Ed Thatch back when they were both teenagers and Andrew worked summers for Ed as a dockhand at the Lobster Pound, owned by Ed’s father. As the narrative opens, Andrew and his family are invited to a lavish reception for the Amherst College lacrosse team at the Thatch's estate. It is here that Andrew sees a disturbing photo that will be the impetus for the rest of the novel.

Questions arise when the police show up at the reception and from this point on Andrew starts looking back at their lives and what led to the current events. Back when Andrew knew Ed, he never would have predicted Ed would become the owner of several lobster boats and a major donor for town projects and Steph would become the town manager. A common theme running through their marriage is the known fact that Steph wants nice things and Ed wants her to have the life she deserves. This is the motive for everything Ed does.

There is a Gatsbyesque element to The Midcoast as it examines the quest for wealth and the deception involved as Ed does everything he can to make Steph happy and Andrew looks at Ed's life from the sideline. The narrative mainly follows Andrew interviewing people after the day of the party for a book about Ed's actions. The timeline is not chronological. The narrative moves around in time culminating with a return to the opening scene as the last scene in the novel. The complex plot slowly builds as Andrew discovers more of Ed's actions and activities. Sometimes the narrative is in first person while other times it is revealing the actions and thoughts of other characters. Suspense builds over the mystery concerning a photo Andrew sees while attending the reception.

The Midcoast is certainly an excellent debut novel that tackles an impressive amount of details and a myriad of issues in a complex plot. Not all the characters are as fully realized as I would hope as some important personal motivating factors seem absent, but this could be a deliberate choice as certain character's backstories are told through their own voices. It is not a quick paced thriller, but once you start reading you will want to know what happened, what the photo means, and how Ed is involved.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House via NetGalley.

Good Husbands

Good Husbands by Cate Ray
6/7/22; 416 pages
Park Row Books

Good Husbands by Cate Ray is a recommended domestic drama that focuses on a sexual assault.

Jessica (Jess), Stephanie and Priyanka (Pree) all receive the same letter from a young woman named Holly who claims that her mother was sexually assaulted by their husbands 20 years ago and she is the child of one of the men. Her mother died years before. Holly will be dead by the time they receive the letter, but she has left proof of her claim in a storage locker for them. Each woman reacts differently to the letter, but Jess is the one who contacts the other two and tries to get them to work together to uncover the facts and decide how to proceed.

The narrative alternates between the point-of-view of Jess, Stephanie, and Pree. We are introduced to them, their husbands, children, and jobs and are privy to their thoughts. They are all very different from each other and each woman approaches the accusations differently. The story of the assault is told through diary entries that are revealed chronologically in each woman's point-of-view. The women are all fully realized characters with a backstory and they all experience change and growth in the novel.

There is no question that Good Husbands confronts a serious societal issue that has been an issue for years. There are discussions of how assault allegations can be viewed from different angles. However, contacting the other women seemed odd. it was surprising to me that Jess and Pree didn't just show the letter to their husbands and confront them immediately. Stephanie had reasons not to incite anger in her husband. Of course, that would change the plot considerably, but it seemed odd that this didn't happen while I was reading. 

The whole novel hinges on these three women all not trusting their husbands and working together to discover what happened 20 years ago. The plot is rather slow moving, however, and the writing is lacking at times. However, the female characters are strong, intelligent, and determined women and there are some big surprises at the denouement. 3.5 rounded down.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Park Row Books.

The Girl They All Forgot

The Girl They All Forgot by Martin Edwards
6/7/22; 352 pages
Poison Pen Press
Lake District #8

The Girl They All Forgot by Martin Edwards is a highly recommended procedural and whodunit as well as the eight book in the Lake District Series.

What happened to Ramona Smith? The man who was accused of her murder committed suicide. His son also did so on the same day twenty years late. Now DCI Hannah Scarlet, and her Cold Cases Division have reopened the investigation of Ramona Smith's death. Her body was never found, but Det. Insp. Ben Kind, father of Heather's colleague and lover Daniel, is sure she was murdered. In a small close knit community though, everyone has their own opinion. The race is on as Hannah and her team collect clues and leads on the cold case as the body count rises.

This is a well-written atmospheric whodunit that moves at a relaxed pace until the end. Since I haven't read any of the other books in this series, I did feel a bit out of sorts reading the novel at the beginning. I kept up with what was happening, but still felt for most of the beginning that I was a step behind or off to the side of the action. Once things clicked the reading was smooth and interesting but I can't help but think I should have started at the beginning of the series due to the strong sense of location in the setting.

There are a lot of characters and viewpoints presented in the complex narrative, especially with two narrative threads to follow in pursuit of the answers, but when you continue reading and focus on the plot they all sort themselves out eventually. This is set in a small community, so there are many interrelated rumors and theories swirling around in the populace and all of these must be investigated. Those who like complex mysteries will appreciate The Girl They All Forgot, but may want to start the series from the beginning.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Poison Pen Press.

The Favor by Nora Murphy

The Favor by Nora Murphy
5/31/22; 288 pages
Minotaur Books

The Favor by Nora Murphy is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Leah and McKenna both have abusive spouses and are leading the same horrific existence, although they don't know each other. Leah is the one who first notices McKenna and recognizes someone who is in an abusive relationship. She begins to secretly spy on McKenna and her husband Zach. When she sees an act of violence perpetrated by Zach toward McKenna, Leah intervenes, altering the fate of both women's lives. Which is good because Leah could use someone who is watching her husband, Liam, and his violence toward her.

Leah and McKenna are fully realized characters who will elicit a lot of sympathy. Their situations are clearly very similar, where their husbands are controlling their every move, leaving them basically prisoners in their homes and marriages. they are both well educated professional women who have found themselves not working and living a life of leisure that they don't necessarily want. The husbands, Zach and Liam are less developed as characters, but this works in the situation that Murphy has set up for her heroines. Later in the novel, Detective Jordan Harrison, of the Clarkstown Police, is investigating and in contact with both women.

The Favor has been compared to a feminist retake on Strangers on a Train, so this might be something to keep in mind when choosing to read it. It does provide a portrait of domestic abuse as seen through the lives of two similar women although the comparison could be stretched to encompass more women in different situations. The voices of Leah and McKenna are shared in alternating chapters so the readers will know their thoughts, struggles, and the truth about what has been going on in their marriages. For those who love procedurals, there are elements of one in the narrative as Detective Harrison conducts his investigations.

Once it starts, The Favor never lets up. It is a totally engrossing compelling novel that should hold your attention throughout. There is a plethora of helpful information regarding domestic abuse after the narrative ends in the notes/ acknowledgements. Murphy also makes the point that a woman's success and education doesn't protect her from domestic violence. This is a debut novel, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian Publishers.

Aurora

Aurora by David Koepp
6/7/22; 304 pages
HarperCollins

Aurora by David Koepp is a very highly recommended scientific thriller. This one is going to be made into a movie.

A coronal mass ejection or solar storm, on the sun sends out a massive cloud of solar plasma aimed at the Earth resulting in a Carrington Event. Everyone is on notice that in a short amount of time the whole electric power grid on the Earth will go down. A Carrington event of this size would cause auroras to be seen almost world wide. In Aurora, Illinois, Aubrey Wheeler is caring for her ex's teenage son and trying to stay away from Rusty, her ex, due to his semi-criminal connections. Her brother, Thom, is a billionaire who has been planning for years just for this end of civilization scenario.

We are due for another massive solar storm that perhaps could reach this size, which makes Aurora is a compelling and intriguing scientific thriller. Koepp takes the basic science and writes an irresistible narrative which places the characters in the situation. Personally, I love science fiction novels that are based on facts and Aurora covers all the bases as we have the event and we follow several characters through it. Even better the movie rights have already been sold; this novel was written to be made into a movie.

While you will like some characters and dislike others, all of them are fully realized and will experience change and growth for the better or the worse in the plot. I appreciate how Koepp has reduced his action down to the local response to it, especially in Aubrey's cul-de-sac, because an event of this nature would very much play out locally for most people. Suddenly the big picture wouldn't matter as much as how you and your neighbors are able to cope and, hopefully, work together.

When you are in the hands of an experienced writer, you know it. Koepp does an exceptional job setting up the action with all the pertinent information readers will need and then allowing the events to occur. The tension builds gradually as the action unfolds. The narrative switches between characters and locations while developing the characters and allowing the plot to take hold. It becomes clear that events will lead to some kind of major confrontation, but Koepp includes some humorous and heartwarming scenes along the way. This is escapism at it's finest.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.

The Favor by Nicci French

The Favor by Nicci French
10/18/22; 448 pages
William Morrow & Company

The Favor by Nicci French is a highly recommended psychological drama.

Jude has reached her life goal to be a doctor. She has found love, is planning her wedding and is happy and satisfied with her life. This all makes it a completely unexpected and shocking surprise when her first love, her boyfriend from 11 years ago, suddenly shows up at her work. She hasn't seen him since the car crash they were in as teens. Liam wants a favor from Jude. It's an odd favor. He wants her to drive to a country cottage in his car and then pick him up at the train station later that night. She's not supposed to tell anyone what she's doing and he'll explain it all when he arrives. Jude does as he asks, including lying to her fiance about where she is, but Liam never shows up on the train.

Back at the cottage, Jude is uneasy, especially when she hears a noise and realizes that it is Liam's phone, in his bag which she brought to the cottage for him. Someone is trying to call him and after this the police call his number. Jude learns that Liam has been found dead. Her favor makes her part of the murder investigation and could result in the loss of everything she has.

It is a huge leap of logic that Jude would do this odd, weird favor for someone she hasn't seen in 11 years. This preposterous plot point will hang over the story until, finally, her reason for doing it is explained later in the narrative. Now, many readers may has guessed something like her secret was the case, but Liam also making her along with his brother an executor of his will is equally odd. The house of unusual people Liam was living with, including his girlfriend and son, are also offbeat. Jude quickly becomes entangled into secrets and lies swirling around Liam's social circle.

Jude is a fully realized, engaging character and easy to connect with even when you are questioning her choices. As she becomes involved in Liam's life after his death, a picture of his life and character also emerges. Once she begins looking into Liam's life, she begins to realize that she is perhaps the only one who

The writing is excellent in this psychological drama and held my attention even while I was doubting almost all of the choices Jude was making over everything. Author Nicci French (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) are well known for their tension filled psychological thrillers and dramas that are filled with misdirection and twists. The Favor compares favorably to their other collaborative novels and is an enjoyable, engrossing page-turner.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of William Morrow & Company.