Last Call at Coogan's

Last Call at Coogan's by Jon Michaud
6/6/23; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press

Last Call at Coogan's: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar by Jon Michaud is a very highly recommended history. This neighborhood bar opened in New York City’s Washington Heights one block from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in 1985 and closed during the pandemic in the spring of 2020. For 35 years the beloved local landmark often called Uptown City Hall was a vital part of the neighborhood.

Librarian Michaud wrote an article in the New Yorker about Coogan's which was the impetus for this account, which is the very interesting, easy to read story about the history of Coogan's. From 1985 to 2020 the bar and neighborhood faced a plethora of serious issues and changes which are all recounted here. The wide variety of stories included cover the owners, some of the staff, and many regulars, along with the social history of the years Coogan's was open and the community it created.

This is an excellent, well-researched book that captures and brings to life the history of a place and the people who were a large part of the story. Last Call at Coogan's would especially appeal to anyone who knows the area or ever visited or frequented Coogan's over the years. A wide variety of readers will appreciate the interesting background stories of the history and the people, but the greater appeal is going to be for those who know the area or Coogan's.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

The Survivor

The Survivor by Iris Johansen
6/6/23; 352 pages
Grand Central Publishing
Eve Duncan Series #30 

The Survivor by Iris Johansen is recommended, highly for fans of the series.

In this latest thriller, the caretaker/ruler Maya of the remote island nation of Paladan located in Southeast Asian asks for help from archeologist Riley Smith. When Riley consults with forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, her life is endangered by those threatening Maya. There are several mysterious secrets on the island that Maya protects but now animal poacher Nadim and former associate Bevan are both determined to eliminate Maya and anyone else so they can profit from the spoils.

This is an entertaining and action packed novel of suspense. Those who can easily embrace unicorns, a legendary female warrior, a secret potion, and a few more magical ideas can carry on and enjoy the action. It will require most readers to set a heavy handed double dose of disbelief aside in order to enjoy the plot. If you can set disbelief aside and have been following the series this will be heart-stopping diversion. I did struggle to care for the first third of the novel, but once I accepted the premise and the action really got going, it was compelling and enjoyable. 3.5

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.

 

The Feast

The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
6/6/23; 336 pages
McNally Editions

The Feast by Margaret Kennedy is an intelligent, literary novel being re-release by McNally Editions. Originally published in 1949, this very highly recommended novel is a morality play covering the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth. Set at the Pendizack Manor Hotel at the seaside in Cornwall in the summer of 1947, readers will know from the start that a cliff will destroy the the hotel and only sixteen survive the collapse. Before we know who survives, we are introduced to the guests, the family that runs the inn and their staff.

As a character driven novel, The Feast excels as both a character study and a morality story. The focus is on the characters, their actions, integrity, and true nature. It is a pleasure to read and discover such a delightful,  thoughtful, and memorable novel. It is quite clear why The Feast was re-released for a new generation of readers. This would be a perfect summer vacation read.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of McNally Editions via Edleweiss.

The Road to Dalton

The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring
6/6/23; 250 pages
Europa Editions

The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring is a highly recommended debut literary novel about small town Maine.

The narrative of The Road to Dalton follows citizens of the fictional small town of Dalton in 1990 Maine. The narrative carefully and compassionately follows three couples and the tension and dilemmas they face. Rose is being abused by Tommy. Richard, the local doctor, sees it all while tolerating a loveless marriage to Trudy. Trudy is in love with Bev, wife of Bill and mother to Nate. Nate's wife Bridget is suffering from post-partum depression. Sarah and Greg are struggling with the unique challenges of adolescence.

This is a character driven novel that relies upon your compassion and care about the people who populate Bowring's small town in order to hold your attention and interest. The interconnected chapters follow the reactions and emotions of the characters who inhabit the town. You might have to set some disbelief aside, but you will be interested in the feelings and reactions of these characters.

The writing is incredible and insightful, although you may have to set some disbelief aside. These characters and their situations will resonate with many readers. This is an excellent debut and Bowring is an author to watch in the future.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Europa Editions via Edelweiss.

The Second Ending

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman
5/30/23; 352 pages
Random House

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman is a highly recommended humorous and captivating debut novel about two pianists and a reality show competition.

Prudence Childs, 48, was once a household name as a child prodigy and star who played the piano for the famous and influential until she gave it all up to live an anonymous normal life and raise a family. Alexei Petrov is a current, young virtuoso who hosts a reality show competition with a large following. For reasons of her own, Prudence agrees to a competition facing Alexei on the dueling pianos TV show where the winner will take home a million dollars.

Adding to the drama is an ex-husband who hopes to extort money from Prudence, an HOA president who wants revenge, and a show producer with increasing demands. Both Prudence and Alexei have to win the competition for differing reasons but the two don't realize how much they have in common. The subject of controlling/stage parents is also readily present and the result of domineering actions is illustrated in the development of the characters.

The Second Ending is a compelling novel that will especially resonate with those who love music and play any instrument, but will certainly be enjoyed by any reader who loves well-written character based novels. The eccentric characters come to life in this novel that is packed with drama, humor and the love of music. Challenging and difficult issues are tackled with humor and passion. The narrative held my attention throughout and the ending was satisfying. This is a great debut novel!

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

The Wishing Game

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
5/30/23; 304 pages
Random House

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is a very highly recommended mystery/family/romance novel. This is for adults who always dream of finding a golden ticket.

Lucy Hart grew up without parents who cared and found escape through the Clock Island book series by Jack Masterson. When she was 13 she ran away to the real Clock Island and met Masterson. Now she is twenty-six and a teacher's aide. She wants more than anything else to adopt seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, but she doesn't make enough money for proper housing or a car so she is unable to qualify to foster to adopt.

Then author Masterson announces a contest. He is inviting four contestants to Clock Island to compete in a series of games/riddles. The winner will receive the only copy of his new novel, worth a fortune, and can do what they please with it. Lucy is one of the lucky contestants. While on the island she must also deal with the curmudgeonly but handsome Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books.

The Wishing Game is an excellent debut novel and is going to appeal to all Willy Wonka fans. It's compelling, engaging and held my rapt attention from beginning to end. It could be a YA book, or certainly appropriate for YA readers, but as an adult reader it resonated with me too. There are some heavy themes in the plot but they are handled circumspectly. The narrative is mainly told through Lucy's point-of-view, with excerpts from one of the Clock Island books interspersed between the chapters. There are also several chapters from Hugo's perspective.

We don't have in-depth character development of everyone, but we do have Lucy, Hugo and Masterson developed to some degree, enough that readers will care what happens. The ending is absolutely perfect in every way. This is a novel about hope and the power of books in a life. The Wishing Game would be a wonderful choice for summer reading!

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

The Revenge List

The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon
5/23/23; 368 pages
MIRA Books

The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a very highly recommended thriller with a jaw-dropping opening. You'll be glued to the pages to see what led to this scene.

According to everyone who knows her Frankie Morgan has well-known anger issues, so it is no surprise that her father has asked her to attend six sessions of an anger management group. During the first class, she is asked to make a forgiveness list of the people she believes have wronged her. She makes the list in the notebook she always carries, but during the break she skips the rest of the class to get coffee with another attendee. Then an incident has her getting angry at him and loosing her notebook. She eventually recovers it, but not until she notices that accidents are happening to some of the people on her list. Frankie is desperately trying to find out who took the notebook and who is targeting the names on her list.

The Revenge List is an excellent, well-written thriller that was impossible to put down once I started reading. I liked this book at the beginning and then began to love it as I continued reading. After the opening, the tension is already high and keeps climbing. Events in her life are adding to the pressure. As the plot unfolds almost everyone is a suspect and nothing is as straightforward as it originally appears. There are several twists along the way as well as encounters with the police as Frankie does her investigating. The final denouement will provide you with a thrilling shocking jolt.

Adding to the interest are the background stories of the people who are on her forgiveness list and why they are on the list. Once these stories start being told, Frankie's anger becomes more understandable. Sure she still needs to work through the anger and forgive people, but the causes of it are more justifiable. Frankie becomes a fully realized character through her backstories and you will care about her.

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