Reviews

Denise Swanson: Murder of a Needled Knitter

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Murder of a needled KnitterDenise Swanson, 17 books into her Scumble River series featuring school psychologist Skye Denison, has at last married Skye off to her sweetheart, Wally, and sent them off on their honeymoon aboard a cruise ship.  Guess who else turns out to be aboard?  Skye’s best pal, Trixie, on a cruise with her own husband, and her parents.  

Swanson pretty much could have left her plot at that:  your parents on your honeymoon?  Anyone’s nightmare.  But she’s never been a lazy writer and she’s not about to start now, as she also arranges for there to be a group of knitters on board (hence Skye’s mother, May), complete with an obnoxious group leader, hated by all.  It’s not long before the much hated Guinevere is a goner and the entire knitting group including especially Skye’s mother, who had public words with her, are suspects. read more

Lauren Willig: That Summer

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That SummerWillig is following up last year’s strong stand-alone, The Ashford Affair, with another great entry.  Using a similar story structure – one section in the past and one in the present – she skillfully ties the two threads together as the story progresses.  I liked both parts equally, which is not always the case, and was happy to re-join either character.

While neither this novel or The Ashford Affair can strictly be called a mystery, both novels center on a mysterious and unresolved disappearance that may or may not also be a death.  So there’s a mysterious nugget in each story, though, much like a Jane Austen novel, it’s the relationships and how they may or may not work out that supply the true intrigue. read more

Megan Abbott: The Fever

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The FeverAdolescence is, if nothing else, a time of high drama. Part of it is, of course, those crazy hormones coursing through young bodies, but there’s also a definite lack of perspective – without a substantive field of experience, small things can loom very large while important ones appear insignificant. The resulting hullabaloo can be comic, but there is also the occasional tragic result such as teen suicide, school shooting or other lapses in judgment that can shadow an entire lifetime. And when things go bad, no one captures the angsty existence of today’s teens with more vivid power than the immensely talented Megan Abbott, as evidenced by her latest excellent effort The Fever. read more

Julia Keller: Summer of the Dead

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Summer of the Dead by Julia KellerJulia Keller is quite simply a spectacular writer. Her Bell Elkins series, set in Acker’s Gap, West Virginia, has been deepening and improving with each installment. In this novel, Bell’s sister Shirley has returned from a long stint in prison, and the two are uncomfortably adjusting to living together. Bell is also dealing with a number of murders county wide, some of which seem related, some of which don’t. The atmosphere hanging over Acker’s Gap, like the summer heat, is oppressive and stifling. read more

Louise Penny: The Long Way Home

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The Long Way HomeSome writers write with their smarts on their sleeves (Jeffrey Deaver and Thomas Perry come to mind) and some with their hearts on their sleeves. Louise Penny belongs firmly in this second category, and in none of her novels has her heart been more front and center than in this one, a deeply moving examination of the relinquishment of power, love, and attachment as well as an examination of the painful but necessary process of change and growth.

It almost seemed at times as though Penny couldn’t stop the words from rushing over the page, and as a reader, I couldn’t stop myself from rushing to inhale them as fast as she was throwing them down. Gamache has retired and settled in Three Pines with Reine Marie, with frequent visits from his new son in law, Jean Guy Beauvoir. read more

Michael Connelly: The Gods of Guilt

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The Gods of GuiltOther writers must gnash their teeth – does Michael Connelly have to be the best all the time? His Harry Bosch books are one of the greatest police series of all time, and he’s now working on a similar level with his Mickey Haller legal series. To me, these books blow most other legal thrillers out of the water. The series started strong with The Lincoln Lawyer, and the excellence continues. I especially liked the early in the series reveal that Harry and Mickey are half brothers.

These books can be enjoyed also on an individual level, though you’ll miss some of the connections the ongoing characters in the books have to one another and the ways their relationships change. However, the thing in these books is plot, and that never gets old or needs an explanation. read more

Michael Palmer: Resistant

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ResistantMichael Palmer, one of my very favorite guilty pleasure writers, unfortunately passed away last winter, and I can’t tell you how much I will miss his books. This one joins a fledgling series featuring Dr. Lou Welcome, coming after a long string of successful stand-alones. Stand-alone or series, Palmer’s formula rarely varied and it’s so crazy enjoyable I had a hard time putting any of his books down. There’s always a misunderstood doc at the center of the action, oppressed by whatever evil force Palmer came up with for a particular book, and the odds are always stacked against the doc. (Also, a clue: whenever another character calls him “doc,” that character is to be trusted). read more

Brian Freeman: The Cold Nowhere

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The Cold NowhereBrian Freeman’s sixth installment in his enjoyable Jonathan Stride series set in Duluth finds Stride still struggling with emotional entanglements, past and present. Some of the threads Freeman has pulled through the books to date find a resolution of sorts at the end of this novel, which was, to me, one of the best of the series. Stride, a widower and Detective on the Duluth force, has just wound up an unfortunate romance with his partner, Maggie, and is on the outs with his sometime girlfriend, Serena, a former Vegas cop who now works with the Duluth sheriff’s department. read more

Jenny Milchman: Ruin Falls

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Ruin FallsJenny Milchman’s new novel concentrates on a mother’s primal fear: the vanishing of her children. Her main characters in this stand alone novel are the Daniels family, Paul, Liz, Ally and Reid, on their way to visit Paul’s parents. Rarely do the Daniels leave their homestead and their contact with Paul’s family has been minimal.

Milchman begins to skillfully sketch in the family details: the processed snacks snuck by Liz to her children when they are on the road, despite Paul’s objections; the clever and disturbing ability of Reid to pick pockets; the sweetness of Ally; and the apparent controlling nature of Paul. We’re seeing it all through Liz’s lens. When Paul decides they can spend the night in a hotel before reaching his parents’ house, Liz is delighted by the rare treat and chance to get cleaned up and prepared to face her in-laws. Wakening from a deep, comfortable sleep the next morning, she quickly discovers the children are missing, and she and Paul go into full panic mode. read more

Linda Castillo: The Dead Will Tell

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The Dead Will TellI am a sucker for this series. Castillo’s premise is a brilliant one: police chief Kate Burkholter, who was raised Amish in tiny Painter’s Mill, Ohio, left the Amish for the “English” world and returned home to join the police force. Her appointment as Chief is relatively new. Her status as an insider/outsider could not be more perfect as far as a mystery heroine is concerned, and her character’s knowledge of Amish culture, Amish families and at times, the Pennsylvania Dutch language the Amish speak, are all helpful to her as she solves crimes. read more