Barefoot Season

From Andrea Kalinowski
Author:  Susan Mallery
Barefoot Season
Susan Mallery has started a new series set on fictional Blackberry Island. The first is Barefoot Season which is followed by Three sisters. The location is the only thread of continuity which makes these books perfect summer reads since they can be read in order or as stand alones. Barefoot Season revolves around the complicated parent-child relationship and how the effects can be felt among childhood friendships. Michelle and Carly were the best of friends until Carly’s mother ran off with Michelle’s father. Now Michelle is a returning veteran and in order to run the inn that is Michelle’s inheritance, the friends must iron out the hiccups in their relationships.

In Three Sisters, we return to Blackberry Island but on this visit, three unconnected women must resolve issues separate from each other. The newest homeowner on Blackberry Island is running from a wedding, while the homeowners on either side have their own emotional disasters to unravel and surmount. Deanna Phillips, with her OCD disorder and mental anguish leftover from her mother, fears her husband is on the verge of an affair while Boston King, an artist, cannot seem to accept the loss of her son. Boston endlessly renders her son’s image in all sorts of mediums. These three women, brought together because they live next door to each other, bond and with that bonding, manage to provide the impetus for each of them to resolve their issues. Both were entertaining reads and a little bit more because of the strength embedded in the female characters.

 

Give me everything you have : on being stalked

From Andrea Kalinowski
Author:  James Lasdun
Give me everything you have : on being stalked
I just finished reading a suspenseful, frighteningly true story. Give me everything you have : on being stalked by James Lasdun is an English professor’s memoir, of sorts. He was attempting to mentor a potential author who misread his laudatory comments and assumed, incorrectly, that he was romantically interested in her. Being a published writer himself, the student attacked his honorability with accusations of plagiarism and sexual misconduct. She avowed that the professor stole her work and with the help of unknown persons, published it to acclaim. With the advent of social media, it was quite easy for the student to further persecute her professor. She managed to hijack different forums where the professor was a presence and subvert his postings. This hijacking of the professor’s postings, in addition to causing stress, managed to tinge his professional dealings with a hint of shadiness. A scary read since it is all too easy to imagine this scenario being played out endlessly all over the world, sometimes with dire consequences. Stalking is a very serious issue on both sides of the coin, the stalker’s and the victim’s.

Dying on the job : murder and mayhem in the American workplace

From Margaret Mezzacapo
Author:  Ronald D. Brown
Dying on the job : murder and mayhem in the American workplace
This is the worst book ever.  The premise is interesting, but this book makes watching paint dry and grass grow seem scintillating. It’s written in the style of a sociology term paper, complete with footnotes every other word.  The author also has the strange habit of repeating anecdotes.  You’ll read one account and two pages later it’s repeated, sometimes almost word for word, and they weren’t always that great the first time.

I do not recommend this book, unless you’re the kind who thinks, “ It’s got to get better” as you read along.  Trust me – it doesn’t.

A Lesson in Chemistry

From Rosemarie Jerome
Author:  Jillian Stone
A Lesson in Chemistry
In 1887 London,” forensics” is a new science being used to fight crime.  Archibald Bruce is the Director of the Crime Laboratory for the Criminal Investigations Division of Scotland Yard whose typical day is spent collecting and testing evidence, dealing with explosives and creating new devices.  In his spare time he is a Professor of Chemistry at the university where he meets Fiona Rose.  Archie finds love, rescues Agent Phineas Gunn and becomes entangled in a mission to stop an arms dealer from supplying weapons and explosives to anarchist factions throughout Europe and the Americas.  Readers familiar with the Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series will be familiar with Archie who is an important character, but not one of the major characters.  I am glad to learn more about him and hope that he becomes the focus of a future novel.  The titles in the series are:  ”An Affair with Mr. Kennedy” bk 1, “A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis” bk 2 and “A Private Duel with Agent Gunn” bk 3.  This exclusive Kindle eBook is available on our circulating Paperwhite Kindle.

A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

From Rosemarie Jerome
Author:  Diana Gabaldon
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
What happened to Jerry Mackenzie and his wife, Marjorie who were mentioned in Gabaldon’s novel “An Echo in the Bone”?  We know that their son Roger Mackenzie is an orphan but his parent’s demise was never explained.  This novella tells their story.  Jerry Mackenzie was recruited to spy on the Germans by taking aerial photographs in Poland.  While on a training exercise to test this new technology, he crashes in Northumbria but his body was never found. His widow, Marjorie, was killed in the London blitz but before she dies she sees Jerry again. This exclusive Kindle eBook is available on our circulating Paperwhite Kindle.

The Book Case

From Rosemarie Jerome
Author:  Nelson De Mille
The Book Case
Otis Parker owns the Dead End Bookstore in Manhattan.  An employee finds him dead in his shop.  He was killed by a fallen bookcase.  Was it a bizarre accident or premeditated murder?  Detective John Corey must solve this puzzle, a clever locked room mystery, with an unusual choice for a murder weapon.  This exclusive Kindle eBook is available on our circulating Paperwhite Kindle.

 

7th Woman

From Rosemarie Jerome
Author:  Frederique  Molay
7th Woman
Inspector Nico Sirsky is the Chief of Police, Head of the Paris Criminal Investigation Division. When Marie-Helene Jory, Assistant Professor of History at the Sorbonne, is killed in her home, Nico is called in to investigate. The homicide has sexual overtones and the victim was brutally tortured. The killer was slow, methodical and calculating, he enjoyed the kill. When similar murders occur, Nico realizes that they are dealing with a serial killer. The killer begins leaving messages for Nico. This crime novel is not for the squeamish, but the plot twists and the appealing characters will draw you in as the acts of violence repel you. Read it with the lights on and whatever you do, don’t answer your doorbell…This exclusive Kindle eBook is available on our circulating Paperwhite Kindle.