Rainsongs by Sue Hubbard
The Overlook Press: 10/9/18
eBook review copy; 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9781468316636
Rainsongs by Sue Hubbard is a highly recommended, beautifully written novel about loss, love, healing, and life.
After the death of her husband in December 2007, Martha Cassidy has returned
to her husband's remote cottage where he went to write. It is near a tiny, remote village on the west coast
of Ireland in County Kerry. Off the coast are the Skelligs, a group of barren islands occupied by monks in 520 AD.
Once at the cottage, Martha sorts through her husband's belongings and
reflects on her husband, his life, his infidelities, but she also
finally grieves the loss twenty years earlier of 10 year-old Bruno, her
only child and that he never got to take a boat trip to the Skelligs.
In this windswept headland, there are other contemporary outside forces
that insert themselves into Martha's consciousness. A successful
developer, Eugene
Riordan, wants to buy up all the farmland on the coast and build a
spa resort. Older local hill farmer Paddy O'Connell quietly refuses to
sell to him and ends up injured under mysterious circumstances. Riordan
also wants part of Martha's land but she manages to put him off. Martha
also befriends local musician and poet, Colm, who doesn't want to lose
the rural area's way of life.
The descriptions of the landscape and setting are exquisitely crafted
and certainly show Hubbard's poetic turn of phrase. Beyond Martha, the
beautiful, rugged landscape is truly a main character. The loss of a
way of life and rural setting may have to be mourned if the farmland is
sold and the development changes the area and the beauty of the remote
area. The plot is quite simple and quiet.
Martha is a clear-headed woman dealing with more than a few memories,
good and bad, and grieving her losses and what could have been. This is a
lamentation of the loss of a husband and son. Martha must sort through
memories as she sorts through things, and she must negotiate with her
grief and feelings to set a course to her future. She is a
well-developed character and we know her inner thoughts and musings as
she does what she needs to do at the cottage in order to go on with her
life. The other characters, beyond the landscape, are all more
caricatures for several archetypal characters.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of The Overlook Press.
The Night in Question by Nic Joseph
Sourcebooks: 10/2/18
eBook review copy; 320 pages
ISBN-13: 9781492668008
The Night in Question by Nic Joseph is a recommended thriller set in Chicago.
Paula is working a second job as a Drive Away Car ride-share driver to
make some extra money to pay her husband Keith's medical bills. On her
last fare of the night she picks up a man who called himself "Lotti"
and drops him off at a gold coast apartment building where, obviously, a
woman is looking out the window, waiting for him. The next day she
realizes that her fare was actually Grammy Award–winning pop singer Ryan Hooks and the woman he was meeting was not his equally
famous wife. Paula considers what to do with this information, as any
honest woman would, but when she finds his phone in her car, she knows
exactly what she'll do. She will offer to give him back his phone for
a $180,000 "reward." The $180,000 will pay for an operation that would
allow Keith, who is wheelchair-bound after his accident, to walk again.
When a woman is found murdered in the apartment building
later, and when someone breaks into her apartment, Paula is sure Ryan is
responsible. She reports her suspicions to Detective
Claire Puhl, who is investigating the murder, and Paula is called in for
an interview. The novel alternates between Puhl's murder investigation
and Paula's story.
The tone in this thriller is light and sometimes humorous. Paula is very
concerned that the reader knows that she is a good person, that she
would never lie about important things, and that she really needs the
money to help Keith. When she inserts herself into meeting the residents
of the Gold Coast apartment building where she dropped off Hooks, her
intentions seem dubious at best. All the narrators, with the exception
of Puhl, are unreliable and operating on several different agendas.
The Night in Question is a nice mystery
and has some twists and surprises along the way without a huge build-up
of suspense. The ending is surprising and worth getting through some of
Paula's endless rationalizing about how she really is a good person,
even though she is doing all these questionable and illegal actions.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks.
I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan
HarperCollins: 9/18/18
advanced reading copy; 384 pages
paperback ISBN-13: 9780062698605
I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan is a very highly recommended twisty thriller following two murder cases twenty years apart.
A body is found in the same location where two young boys were murdered
twenty years ago. Obviously the body has been there for awhile and is
not a recent murder but while awaiting identification of the remains
Det.
Insp. John Fletcher recalls the case from years earlier as he was
part of the investigation. In 1996 Charlie Paige, 10, and Scott Ashby,
11, were murdered in the city of Bristol,
England, their bodies dumped near a dog
racing track. Sidney Noyce, a mentally
challenged adult was convicted of the killings. Now, in 2017, Noyce
has committed suicide
in prison.
To complicate matters, Cody Swift, who was a friend of the two boys
years ago, has decided to return to Bristol and look into the murder of
his friends. Swift has a podcast he calls "It's Time To Tell" and he is
questioning everyone involved with the case. He is hoping to find new
evidence to prove Noyce was not guilty and, hopefully, actually find the
person responsible for the murder of his best friends. Not everyone
involved want the old case looked into again, but Swift is determined to
interview people and play those interviews on his podcast.
This is a very clever original murder mystery that is well-paced,
entertaining, and an engrossing read. The chapters follow Fletcher in
the current investigation and the older murder; a transcript of Swift's
podcast; and Jess Paige, Charlie’s mother. It appears that some people
don't want the old case reopened, but it must also be determined if the
bones found are related to the 1996 case. Swift's podcast are raising
old questions, and making people uncomfortable and even feel threatened.
The development of the characters is excellent. Macmillian slowly
revealed more and more of each character, their flaws and fears, while
what felt like a potentially threatening situation grew. Secrets abound
with all of the characters. No one is perfect; everyone could be hiding
something.
The writing and the presentation is pitch-perfect in this complicated,
gripping mystery. The reader is presented with current information along
with the story and investigation from twenty years ago and more details
and new information is revealed. I was caught up with both stories and
couldn't deduce what was true and what was self-serving. The pacing is
perfect and the multiple points-of-view and the multiple time periods
were both assets to the narrative. This novel should appeal to true
crime readers as well as those who love a good twisty mystery/thriller.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
The Testament of Harold's Wife by Lynne Hugo
Kensington: 9/25/18
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9781496716682
The Testament of Harold's Wife by Lynne Hugo is a highly recommended novel featuring an independent older woman with a plan to get revenge.
First a drunk driver killed her beloved grandson, Cody. Then her
husband, Harold, committed suicide. Louisa knows Harold was trying to
get revenge on the man who killed Cody, who claimed there was a deer in
the road and was never held accountable for the death. Gus, the local
sheriff, kept an eye on Harold and interfered with his plans at every
turn. Now, with Harold gone Louisa decides that it is time for her to
continue Harold's plan and get revenge on the killer. Now her adult son,
Gary, who has dealt with Cody's death by becoming a minister, is
keeping an eye on Louisa (along with Gus). Gary seems to think there is
something wrong with Louisa having her chickens inside the house and
talking to them. But, Louisa knows how to execute a plan and keep ahead
of those who want to interfere.
The Testament of Harold's Wife is a humorous, fast paced novel.
Each chapter is told through a different character's point-of-view, with
the bulk of the novel following Louisa and her plans. It is an original
novel with a rather charming, folksy, heroine who is grieving her
losses without feeling sorry for herself. Instead she makes a plan and
sets out to get the killer. The bulk of the character envelopment is,
naturally, for Louisa. And while she is appealing, she does seem to act
and talk older than she really is for no obvious reason.
I enjoyed the novel and there are several pretty funny scenes in it,
along with several touching moments and recollections. It is an
entertaining and has some poignant moments. Louisa is honest when she
shares her feeling and observations about those in her life. I was
interested in her plan to get revenge and how it would all play out. The
ending was a satisfying conclusion to the story. (On the other hand, I
guess I don't find quite as much charm as some readers in Louisa
discussing giving alcohol to her chickens and cat.) In the end, this is a
satisfying novel about a woman dealing with grief, with humor,
practicality, and looking ahead to her future.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Kensington.
The Watcher by Caroline Eriksson; Tara F. Chace (Translator)
AmazonCrossing: 9/18/18
eBook review copy; 240 pages
paperback ISBN-13:
9781503905405
The Watcher by Caroline Eriksson is a recommended "Rear Window"-esque Scandinavian thriller translated into English by Tara F. Chace.
Elena has left her husband Peter during a trial separation and has moved
into a subleased townhouse. She's obviously distraught, unsettled, and
unable to sleep or unpack. Her sister is trying to help her with regular
Friday night dinners and checking up on her. Elena, an author, spends
sleepless nights rearranging books in the bookcase. She is also watching
her neighbors through the kitchen window. She discovers they are the
Storm family, husband, wife, and teenage son, Leo. Soon she thinks
something nefarious is happening between the Storms, and Leo, who is
stopping by her house to talk to her, is increasing her anxiety about
them. She is sure she is witnessing a marriage disintegrating and
suspects murder may soon happen. Her watching is also spurring on her
creativity, though, and she is beginning to write a new novel. Soon her
writing is at a frenzied pitch and something must be coming to a deadly
conclusion in both her novel and the neighbors marriage.
The plot unfolds mainly through chapters from Elena's point-of-view, but
there are also chapters from the Husband's point-of-view and excerpts
from the book Elena is writing. At first it is difficult to see what is
real and unreal. The connection between the separate narratives is
tenuous and the relevance of their inclusion is unclear, but the
correlation becomes more coherent as the plot unfolds. The ending brings
clarity to all the narrative threads.
It is an interesting novel and a quick read, although the plot is not
unique and the outcome is not unexpected. There are a few plot points
that were never completely resolved and I wish they were since they were
an ongoing part of the narrative. Elena clearly is unstable and is an
unreliable narrator, but this isn't handled quite as successfully in
this novel as compared to other recent novels that have utilized this
technique. If you enjoyed The Women in the Window, you might want to give The Watcher a try.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Amazon Publishing via Netgalley.
Escaping the Rabbit Hole by Mick West
Skyhorse Publishing: 9/18/18
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13:
9781510735804
Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect by Mick West
is a highly recommended, informative and helpful aid to talking with friends about their beliefs in conspiracy theories.
It may be surprising for many people to realize some of the widely held
beliefs in some of the conspiracy theories out there: The Earth is flat,
the moon landing was faked, the World Trade Center collapse was a
controlled
demolition, planes are spraying chemtrails, and
actors faked the Sandy Hook massacre. History confirms that some
conspiracies can be real, but the ones West is discussing are not. Those
who hold these false beliefs may need some assistance and gentle
guidance to see their way out from their mistaken beliefs.
West believes in treating those you are talking to as a friend, with
respect and patience, always striving to maintain a line of
communication, rather than treating them like an enemy you must destroy
with your logic and reasoning. It's a good statedgy. In this book he
shares his personal experience discussing, investigating, and debunking
false theories. He also draws upon the experience of others who have
successfully helped friends see the truth. Finally, he looks at the
literature in the field of conspiracy theories. Currently West has the
debunking website Metabunk.
The book is arranged into three parts. The first takes a look at
conspiracy theories, why they exist, why people believe them, and how
you can help them. Part two deals with four specific conspiracy
theories: Chemtrails; 9/11 Controlled Demolition; Sandy Hook was faked;
Flat Earth believers. Part three looks at some of the additional
complications you might encounter when talking to your friends about
their false beliefs, which include a three step process of maintaining
an effective dialogue, supplying your friend useful information, and
allow time for the information to sink in and change their views. At the
end of the book is a helpful glossary and extensive Endnotes.
I have to admit I was more than a little surprised by some of the
conspiracy theories, like flat Earthers and Sandy Hook was done by
actors. Some of these I had heard of before. I remember hearing and
being surprised by all the talk of chemtrails back in the 1990's. I
rather liked this observation by West, which covers a wide ranging
number of beliefs: "People who supported the losing side in an election
are more likely to
believe conspiracy theories that are supposedly orchestrated by the
winning side." This is an interesting, practical guide for people who
feel compelled to help their friends out of the rabbit hole of belief in
conspiracy theories.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 9/4/18
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13:
9780374164836
The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling is a recommended debut novel about a young mother on the edge of a breakdown.
Daphne has a 16 month old daughter, Honey, a Turkish husband, Engin,
who has been denied reentry to the USA by immigration officials, and a
good university job at the Al-Ihsan Foundation for the Study of Islamic
Societies and Civilizations in San Francisco when she suddenly decides
to pack up a few things for her and Honey, flee San Francisco, and head
to the high
desert of Altavista, California. She inherited a mobile home there that
she rarely visits, but her uncle has kept it in good repair. Stressed
out by Engin's absence and
haunted by the death of a student who was traveling on Institute funds,
she thinks she needs an escape, a break to a quiet, simple life. Daphne
is on the edge of a breakdown.
The novel follows 10 days in Daphne's life. Parenting alone with a 16
month old, trying to Skype with Engin to maintain their relationship,
and filling the time during what feels like endless days, in an
environment that is even more isolating for her is a dubious choice that
may serve only to increase Daphne's isolation and loneliness. She meets
a neighbor,
Cindy, who is part of an anti-government, anti-immigration secessionist
group, and
meets a 92-year-old woman, Alice, who speaks a little Turkish and is
visiting Altavista with a plan.
What worked was the raw emotion she captures in Daphne character. You
can feel her honesty as she worries about Engin and Honey, and tries to
be a good parent. She is struggling to find her way in her isolation.
Mothers will recall many of Daphne's struggles with Honey and should be
able to relate to the tantrums, the meal choices, nap time woes, and
what can feel like endless boring routines involved in caring for a very
young child who can't express themselves.
As for the writing - readers will have to be willing to overlook many
long, run-on sentences with few commas. Kiesling's writing style may
require some readers to pause and reread what they just read due to the
aforementioned long run-on sentences. I did so several times, and,
honestly, her writing style did begin to grate. The novel also begins to
drag a bit as nothing much happens until very late in the narrative.
The ending wasn't entirely successful for me.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
