Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Penguin Random House; 4/7/20
review copy; 192 pages
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler is a
very highly recommended, compassionate novel about misconception and the
importance of relationships. This may be my new favorite Anne Tyler
novel.
Micah
Mortimer, 44, is a creature of habit who has his whole life carefully
organized. He is superintendent of his Baltimore
apartment building and self-employed in his business called Tech Hermit.
Micah has a schedule he follows for every day and week. He is
comfortable with his quiet, defined life, so it comes as quite a shock
when his careful routines are challenged. First Cassia (Cass) Slade,
his woman friend, is worried that she is facing eviction and will have
nowhere to live. Then 18-year-old Brink, the son of an old college
girlfriend, shows up and asks if Micah is his father (he's not). In a
mishap of epic proportions, Micah allows Brink to stay overnight in his
spare room, which results in Cass breaking up with him. This incident
leaves Micah to reexamine his life, his routines, his interpersonal
connections, and his choices.
I love everything about Redhead by the Side of the Road - the
writing, Micah, the story, the ending, the meaning of the title -
everything. The writing is absolutely exceptional. This is a character
study of a man and the character of Micah is perfectly captured and
described. I was instantly empathetic to Micah's plight and his caution
in approaching life. I felt such compassion and sympathy for Micah when
the misunderstandings and sudden upheaval in his routine caused the
introspection and self-examination on his approach to life and
relationships.
The novel is short, but tender and poignant. We all deserve second
chances and Tyler flawlessly captures this realization and desire in
Micah. It ends on a perfectly hopeful note. As I said, this may be my new favorite Anne Tyler Novel. Certainly this is one of the best novels I've read this year.
Roanoke Ridge by J.J. Dupuis
Dundurn Press; 3/7/20
review copy; 224 pages
A Creature X Mystery #1
Roanoke Ridge by J.J. Dupuis is a recommended mystery and the first book in the start of a new series.
Laura Reagan is the owner
of a popular website called Science Is Awesome. Science IA strives to
cover news worthy science topics with reality and facts, including cryptozoological investigations.
This is in contrast to Laura's upbringing by her father who famously
filmed a distant shot of a Sasquatch and child in the woods at Roanoke
Ridge, Oregon. Now Laura's mentor, relative, and Bigfoot researcher
Professor Berton Sorel has gone missing right as the annual Roanoke
Valley
Bigfoot Festival is about to start. Laura and her friend Saad Javed (who
knows the difference between hard science and pseudoscience) are going
to Roanoke Ridge to help search for Professor Sorel and maybe uncover
the facts behind the recent Bigfoot sightings. When the search and
rescue operation results in the body of a notorious Bigfoot hoaxer being
found, and not the Professor's, the investigation expands.
The mystery is straightforward so don't expect heart-stopping action or a tension filled plot. The pace is slow and sometimes meandering, but the book is short so it is a quick read. While there are sentences and descriptions that shine, other parts of the narrative are pedestrian, which left me feeling that the writing in Roanoke Ridge is competent, but not exceptional. Be prepared for several long lectures included in the novel, some of
which may be insulting to readers. Those lectures actually are a big
impairment to the narrative. Chapters open with quotes over the years
from various sources about Bigfoot or Sasquatch sightings, which add an
interesting touch. The ending does feel rushed.
Admittedly any mystery involving Bigfoot would immediately draw my
attention if simply for the novelty and kitsch factor. The idea of this
being part of a series of creature mysteries is intriguing, but I'm
uncertain if I will read another novel in the series. Laura is the only
character who receives sufficient development but I'm
not sure she is appealing enough to carry a whole series. The other
characters are all
caricatures representing different stereotypical types of people. Laura
simply
wasn't an interesting or appealing enough character to subject myself to
wading through more thought lectures embedded in the plot, however
reading another book in the series might be based more on what creature
is sought.
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
Penguin Random House; 3/31/20
review copy; 256 pages
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel is a very highly recommended
thriller about a mother's quest for justice - or revenge - after her
daughter is murdered.
Twelve-year-old best friends Izzy Logan and
Junie Taggert are both murdered on playground in Barren Springs, a
impoverished small town located in the Missouri Ozarks. Eve Taggert,
Junie's single mother, is inconsolable and enraged that anyone would
harm her beloved daughter. Eve is determined to find out who did it and
extract justice for her daughter, and after growing up with her mother,
she has the life lessons to do so. Eve and her brother Cal, who is now a
police officer, grew up in a trailer way back in a holler, with a
tough, volatile, hard-edged, drug-addicted mother who ran a meth house.
Her mother's lessons were cruel, but instilled toughness, fierce loyalty
for family, and an eye-for-an-eye outlook - something Eve might need
even though she hasn't talked to her mother for years.
Engel brings it all together in this memorable, well-written, dark thriller. The Familiar Dark
has everything you want in a great novel. The story is heart-wrenching
and dark while the plot grabs your attention and holds it fast. The murder is just in the first chapter, and then it is Eve's story.
It's a slow-burner that builds on facts and observations. Eve's
revelations about her past and her search for the killer are riveting.
Eve's grief is raw and realistic.
Eve is a well-developed character set in an unimaginable situation
where she needs to figure out how she is going to respond. This is a
great character study of a mother at her most elemental core. It is
understandable decision that she eventually turns to what she was taught
as a child at the hands of her mother, that no one takes what is yours.
Even when Cal insists that she needs to leave the investigation to the
professionals, she can't and won't stop her search for Junie's killer
because she knows it is someone local.
The writing is stark and descriptive, capturing both Eve's character and
the setting. As a mother, I understood Eve's deep grief and desire for
vengeance. As a woman, I understood, the lesson her mother felt kids,
especially Eve, needed - toughen up or you're going to get hurt. You will not be able to set this novel down. The ending was a shocking surprise.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell
Sherry Parnell: 10/29/19
eBook review copy; 270 pages
Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell is a very highly
recommended, beautifully written, heartbreaking novel written in the
tradition of rural Southern fiction.
"Sometimes life is just like paper wings. Fragile, easily torn apart, and often there are too many pieces to pick up."
Birddog
Harlin lives in the rural South by a small town with her parents and two
brothers. Her father makes a hardscrabble existence by working in a
coal mine while her mother is ever full of disappointment and bitterness
over their poverty. Denny, her older brother is her idol and protector.
Caul, the brother closest to her in age, is her tormentor. She is her
verbally abusive mother's greatest disappointment. But Birddog (a
nickname given to her by Denny) is her daddy's girl, and her father
loves and cherishes her. After her father dies in a cave-in, the
dysfunctional family spirals into self-destruction.
The opening chapter and the concluding chapter are set in the
future, through the eyes of Birddog's daughter. After the opening where
the mother is harsh to her daughter, then we jump back in time to
Birddog's childhood, and her mother treating her even worse. Truly,
children learn to parent from their parents, good or bad. This is
Birddog's story. Although a time period is not mentioned, I found it
relatively easy to place it during a basic time in history based on the
story. (There were many period clues, for example segregated housing, the brothers leaving school to work, girls wore dresses all the time, etc..)
Let the Willows Weep is an excellent novel. Parnell's
writing is simple gorgeous, descriptive, poetic, and sublime. Even while
describing difficult, hurtful, abusive situations, the sentences are
perfectly crafted and the reflections are unflinchingly told. Birddog is
a memorable, very well-developed character. This novel is through her
point-of-view, and her self-examination about her mother and her
resulting attitude. Additionally, Let the Willows Weep is an emotional novel and I teared up, or cried during
scenes throughout the novel. Yes, it explores the line between
destruction and redemption, but the journey covers a myriad of emotions
that exist between those two points.
The Last Odyssey by James Rollins
HarperCollins: 3/24/20
review copy; 448 pages
Sigma Force Series #15
The Last Odyssey by James Rollins is a very highly recommended thriller combining "cutting-edge
science, historical mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action."It
is always a celebration when Rollins releases a new novel!
In Greenland, researchers find a medieval ship trapped in the ice
whose hold contains
Bronze Age artifacts. A clockwork gold atlas embedded with an intricate
silver astrolabe is found inside the captain's cabin, along with the
remains of the captain. The intricate clockwork treasure was crafted by
a group of Muslim inventor the Banū Mūsā brothers whose work later
inspired Leonardo Da Vinci. When activated, "the moving map traces the
path of
Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route
detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden
realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of
Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the
wicked were punished and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned."
There are other, frightening inventions/protectors set in place on
the ship and they are released by the discovery. The research group is
attacked by a modern group related to the Banū Mūsā brothers and
hostages are taken. When news of the attack on the researchers and their
discovery reaches Sigma Force, they are called to help. They must now
protect the world by figuring out how to follow the path laid out by
Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Those who love mythology can rejoice as that knowledge will pay off
and make following the action easier because you'll know what they need
to search for along the path of Odysseus. Again, just like previous Sigma Force novels, The Last Odyssey is another exciting addition to the series.
Rollins always delivers pulse-pounding, nail-biting action and bases his
story on historical facts and current scientific research resulting in a
great mix of action, history, and science. The story itself is full of
twists and surprise along with the trade-mark action you expect. As
usual, do not skip Rollins author's notes at the end about his research
for the novel.
I've said it before, and I'm going to repeat myself here,
but I appreciate the fact that Rollins treats his readers with respect
and a nod to their intelligence and ability to comprehend a complex
plot.
We know all the Sigma Force characters and Rollins adds some new,
interesting characters to the mix. I think you can read this as a
standalone novel, but having read all the Sigma Force novels I might not
be the best judge of that. I do think that there is enough background
information provided for the characters that a new reader could enjoy
the novel. And everyone will be reading this for the non-stop action,
twists, and surprises along the way. If you love action/adventure
thrillers and have never read a Rollins novel, now would be a great time
to start working your way through all of his novels.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
Macmillian:
3/24/20
review copy; 384 pages
Milo Weaver Series #4
The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer is a highly
recommended, complex espionage thriller and the fourth novel featuring Milo Weaver.
It is a decade since ex-CIA agent Milo Weaver thought the corps
of CIA-trained assassins called "Tourists" had finally ended.
Milo is the head of the Library, a secret espionage operation
buried within the UN’s bureaucracy. He has his own concerns with
the Library, but a series of violent assaults point to a group of
assassins back at work and they seem to be operating outside the
reach of any country's control. Milo is driven into hiding in the
Western Sahara when a young inexperienced CIA analyst arrives to
question him, which results in both of them running for their
lives.
This is a tension pack, complex novel set in the underworld of
espionage, with danger at every turn as both sides engage
maneuvers, parries, deflections, and double-crossing. It is a
demanding plot that does require you to pay close attention as you
read to characters, the backstories, their actions and loyalties.
Everyone is suspect. Everyone has their own agenda. It must be
noted that this novel is not a mindless way to pass the time. You
are going to have to actively follow the myriad of characters and
the complicated plot.
I have not read the previous Milo Weaver novels. It may have
helped me with some of the backstory if I had, but I did manage to
follow what was happening and unpack the history. Of course,
you'll have to pick all of this up while you are racing along with
the breakneck pace and trying to tamp down your level of tension
as the plot threads unfold. It's a wild, convoluted ride with a
plot that contains layers upon layers of information. Milo Weaver
is a great character and surviving depends upon his acumen and
intelligence.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian.
Too Close to Home by Andrew Grant
Penguin Random House: 1/7/20
hardcover: 336 pages
Paul McGrath #2
Too Close to Home by Andrew Grant is a highly recommended
investigative novel of suspense. This is the second book in the Paul
McGrath series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Paul McGrath is a former intelligence agent who is currently working
as a courthouse janitor. He is doing this, working undercover, in order
to find who took a file that had missing evidence about Alex
Pardew. Pardew is the man who defrauded and likely murdered McGrath’s
father but he avoided conviction because the file was missing. McGrath
discovers one person who had their hands on the file, but he needs to
dig deeper and find out why and who else is involved.
While running his secret investigation in the courthouse, he
encounters Len Hendrie, a man who is charged with arson. Hendrie admits
he is guilty, but he did it because
a venture capitalist he shared some inside information with, took the
information and ruined Hendrie in a short-selling
scheme. Hendrie wants to defend himself in court so he can tell the
world why he burned down the one home owned by the man. McGrath decides
to help Hendrie and investigate this too.
The complex plot moves quickly between the major plot thread and the
minor plot involving Hendrie. There is a surprising twist at the end
that I certainly didn't see coming. I haven't read the first novel, but
felt that Too Close to Home can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Grant provides enough background information to follow what happened in
the first book and why he is looking into the file and the missing
information. He also explains any information you need to understand the
short-selling scheme in the subplot.
It's a smart move having McGrath work as a janitor. Much like any
other person in retail or a service job wearing a uniform, they all
certainly are an invisible person to many or looked down on as less
intelligent. It's also nice to have McGrath like his job as cleaning is
relaxing and helps him think. He's an interesting character, taciturn,
but friendly to people to elicit information in a less than obvious way.
He's helped by his friend Robson, who lives with him, and a few other
contacts he has made over the years. I could see having McGrath pick up
more cases in the future through his janitorial job.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House via Library Thing.
