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.

 

Unwanted: A novel

From  Eileen  Effrat
Author:  Kristina Ohlsson
Unwanted:  A novel
In Sweden,a mother leaves her six year old daughter sleeping on a train while she slips off the train to make a quick telephone call. The train leaves without her and the daughter disappears. The child’s body is found hundreds of miles away with the word  “UNWANTED” scrawled on her forehead. In quick succession, 2 other child abductions occur with the same M.O.. What follows is the pursuit of a ruthless child killer.  This is a police procedural from a new Swedish  author. If you enjoy Nordic noir, give this a try.

Budapest Noir

From  Eileen Effrat
Author:  Vilmos Kondor
Budapest Noir
Set in 1930’s Budapest, this is the first book in an Hungarian crime series featuring  Zsigmond Gordon, a crime reporter for a Budapest newspaper. The world is on the eve of war and fascism is on the rise in Hungary. The murder of a wealthy young woman  in a seedy part of the city leads his investigation to the highest echelons of the Hungarian government.  This is the first Kondor book translated into English.  I will be anxiously anticipating the others in the series to be translated—A Spy in Budapest, Sinful Budapest, and Budapest in Ruins.  For an authentic flavor of Budapest back alleys,cafes, and daily life in the 1930’s,this is an excellent choice.

Monarch of the Glen

From  Ginny Pisciotta
Author:  Compton  Mackenzie
Monarch of the Glen
Having loved (and previously reviewed) the Monarch of the Glen DVD series,  I just had to read the book of the same title.  Unlike the series, which takes place in more current times, the book takes place in the 1940’s, when Hector MacDonald’s father, also Hector MacDonald (but referred to as Ben Nevis) was Laird of Glenbogle.

Ben Nevis has visitors from the U.S. – a millionaire (Chester Royde), his young bride Carrie, a Scottish Canadian interested in her Scottish MacDonald roots, and Chester’s sister Myrtle.  Maintaining castles, estates, and a gentry lifestyle can be very difficult and expensive in the 20th century so Ben Nevis attempts to set heiress Myrtle up with one of his sons.

The visitors are quite enamored with Highland lore and life.  Chester even starts wearing kilts.  They also get caught up in a hysterical  all-out war between Ben Nevis, clinging to customs and thinking more fitting of centuries gone by, and a group of progressive thinking hikers, who feel they have the right to hike on the lands of Glenbogle.

The story and characters are humorous and enjoyable overall.  My one complaint would be that the story gets bogged down a bit in wordiness and Gaelic dialect, though even the wordiness can be quite clever if you can take the time to read it through.   Also, the switching back and forth  between names and titles can be a bit confusing.

I would recommend this book to fans of the series who need a Glenbogle fix,  or to those interested in Scottish  culture, or to anyone who enjoys a humorous story full of quirky characters and doesn’t mind a little wordiness or Gaelic dialect.

The Panther

From Margaret Mezzacapo
Author: Nelson DeMille
The Panther
Another thriller, full of technical details and seemingly extensive research. This follows what seems to be a formula by the author – the daring exploits of wisecracking detective, John Corey, and his perfect, beautiful wife, Kate Mayfield, as they hunt down a terrorist leader in the Middle East. There were parts that made me think that DeMille could turn a trip to the grocery store into a techno-thriller, and parts where Detective Corey’s attitude, which is frequently sexist, grated on the nerves. The book does, however, make you wonder when hearing news about the Middle East.

Blue Lightning

From  Eileen Effrat
Author:  Ann Cleeves
Blue Lightning
This is the fourth book in Cleeves’ crime series set in the Shetland Islands. Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to family and friends. Shortly after their arrival, the well- known director of the island’s bird observatory is found murdered. Within a day the cook is found dead. As a storm rages across the island, no one can get on or off the island. When forensic help finally arrives, it is of little help. This is a mystery where motive is crucial. I would recommend beginning with the first in the series, Raven Black, followed by White Nights, and Red Bones.

Rules of Civility

From Ellen Druda
Author:  Amor  Towles
Rules of Civility
If you’re a fan of movies from the 30’s and 40’s starring a wise-cracking and beautiful heroine who mingles with high-society New York, put this book on reserve now. Meet Katey Kontent and her best pal, the tragic Eve. Out celebrating the end of 1937 in a Village jazz joint, Katey and Eve meet wealthy Tinker Grey, and the three become fast friends. Tinker allows them into his world of the rich and very rich, and Katey impresses his associates enough to start her own ascent from legal secretary pool to glamorous publishing world. The writing has an elegance and style that perfectly mimics the New York City setting.

Book, Line and Sinker

From  Andrea Kalinowski
Author:  Jenn McKinlay
Book, Line and Sinker
Jenn McKinlay has a new series gracing the library shelves. A fast-paced, humorous mystery featuring a small-town library director and her Crafternoon friends. Her closest friend, however, is the Children’s Librarian, Beth Stanley. The first in the series is Books Can be Deceiving followed by Due or Die. The third title in the series is Book, Line and Sinker and as one can surmise it has to do with water and pirates, to be specific, who sail oceans blue and bury their pirate booty. Lindsey Norris is not as gung-ho as some of her fellow citizens about the pirate map but she does take advantage of the adventuresome spirit infusing the town and arranges a book display. When the Tourism Director is found murdered at the treasure site, Lindsey rolls up her sleeves and places herself in the middle of the action, regardless of the danger.

Love in Disguise

From Ginny  Pisciotta
Author:  Carol Cox
Love in Disguise
It’s the 1880’s and would-be actress Ellie has just lost her job as wardrobe mistress and personal assistant to a theatre starlet.  With no money for rent or food, she overhears 2 Pinkerton agents talking about the need for a female operative.  She uses her acting skills and costuming experience to convince them to give her a chance.

She leaves Chicago to head for Arizona.  Along the way she is to meet the more experienced female agent she is to work with.  When the other agent bows out to get married, Ellie continues on alone, hoping to solve the mystery (thefts of silver shipments) before the agency recalls her.

The book gives the reader  a little humor as Ellie plays two very different roles in a western mining town with an  assortment of interesting characters, a little romance as she falls for the owner of one of the silver mines, and a little supense as mysteries always have their villains and danger.  All in all, it’s a pretty good read.

Now You See Me

 

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  S. J.  Bolton
Now You See Me
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Bolton’s three previous novels, but this latest surpasses all. A series of brutal murders are occurring in London—–strongly reminiscent of Jack the Ripper’s killings 100 years earlier. As the novel progresses it becomes apparent a “link” exists between these murders and Lacy Flint, a young detective on the Metropolitan Police Force. A series of interspersed chapters recount a brutal gang rape eleven years earlier of two sisters. Is Lacy one of those girls? Are these revenge killings? This is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller with some very surprising twists. Bolton’s extensive knowledge of British folklore, mythology, and history adds an additional dimension to the setting. I could not put this book down.