WRITERS AND LIARS (2025) - Review

WRITERS AND LIARS
by Carol Goodman
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
On Sale: July 15, 2025

It's a great title. But I actually chose to read "Writers and Liars" because if I could write, I would wish it was like Carol Goodman. Her stories are literate mysteries, well-written, with interesting characters. The other thing about this book that drew me in was the way Greek mythology was woven throughout the plot. Oh, and I love islands.

FIRST SENTENCE: "The envelope lands with a thud on my desk with the rest of the day's mail."

THE STORY: "Writers and Liars" is a 'closed door' mystery with hints of Agatha Christie on an isolated idyllic Greek island owned by a wealthy man. Maia, our heroine, actually wrote one book in anger, after a retreat there years ago, sure she had been betrayed by friends. Now she has been invited back with the same group of writers. Will her curiosity be worth the pain? What could possibly go wrong?

WHAT I THOUGHT: Goodman is an excellent writer, but the plot this time is a bit complicated and there were things that seemed a bit contrived.

VERDICT: Highly recommended for those who love literate mysteries.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of "Writers and Liars" was provided to me by William Morrow/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

 

THE GHOSTWRITER (2025) - Review

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
On Sale: June 3, 2025

What first caught my eye was the book title. Then I wondered if ghostwriter was one word or two words, ghost writer. One word is the correct answer. A while later, I started thinking I had read something by Julie Clark before. I had and it was a book I really loved called "The Lies I Tell". You can read that review by clicking on the title.

FIRST LINE: "I know what your Dad did."

THE STORY: What would you do if your brother and sister were killed in your own home? It's June 1975 and surviving brother Vincent, always suspected of the crime, has become a famous author writing best-selling horror stories. 

On the other hand, Olivia Dumont has spent her life hiding the fact that she is the only child of the infamous Vincent Taylor. When she is suddenly offered the chance to ghost write her father's last book, she reluctantly accepts, needing the money. But it's not a horror novel he wants her to write. After 50 years of silence, Vincent Taylor is ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975. 

WHAT I THOUGHT: "The Ghostwriter" was just the psychological puzzle with aspects of genealogy and family history that make me a happy reader. The story is told from Olivia's point of view in present day while interspersed with historical chapters from Vincent and his sister, Poppy. I occasionally found it confusing trying to keep the parents and the children separate, but the writing is smooth and the plotting good enough to keep a reader up past their bedtime. Even though there's violence in this family  that's a bit unsettling, I'll still be watching for New York Times bestselling author Julie Clark's next book. 

BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED for mystery/thriller readers. Also available on Audible, Inc.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of "The Ghostwriter" was provided to me by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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THE DEPARTMENT OF RARE BOOKS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (2022) - Review

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
January 25, 2022

How could a retired librarian choose not to read a mystery called "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections"?

FIRST SENTENCE: "From the first spin of the lock, she knew she wouldn't be able to open the safe."

THE STORY: When the revered head of the university library suffered a stroke, Liesel Weiss, barely days into her sabbatical year, was called back to be Interim Director. Uncomfortable in this new role, her first shock is that a set of extremely valuable books has disappeared. Are they misplaced or stolen?

Dealing with higher ups, colleagues, detectives, her family, and solving mysteries, Liesel pursues doing what she thinks is right and ultimately learns who she is, what she wants, and who dunnit.

WHAT I THOUGHT: A very literate mystery, the engaging writing style drew me in to this slower paced story. There's more depth to it though touching on a myriad of issues including mental illness, feminism,and alcoholism. The author has created clever, interesting characters for Liesel to deal with and I loved the fact that the rare books mentioned actually exist!

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Especially for librarians. Others might not be as enthralled.

DISCLAIMER: Thank you to NetGalley / Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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THE ARTIST VANISHES (2021) - Review

The Artist Vanishes by Terry Westby-Nunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I picked up The Artist Vanishes, my plan was to read the first few sentences and then add it to the bottom of my virtual stack. Instead I knew I had just discovered a treasure in this literary mystery thriller!

FIRST SENTENCE: "The wind blew last night, taking with it dead things, forgotten things, lost things."

THE STORY: 

THEN: Capetown artist Sophie Tugiers disappeared after one of her controversial installations, Bloodbath, was linked to a participant's brutal suicide. 

NOW: Several years later James Dempster, a film maker in a creative and alcoholic slump, discovers his apartment was once Sophie's home. His curiosity is aroused. What happened to Sophie? James' daughter encourages him to do some research hoping a new project will restart his life and career.

WHAT I THOUGHT: After that first sentence, I immediately started reading. The plot alone was interesting but the creation of the world of the book was even more fascinating. It's impressive how the author managed to touch on so many volatile issues without patronizing or preaching to the reader while writing about big pharmaceutical companies and animal testing, the responsibility of artists and how they are changed by fame and money, and the meaning of friendship.

Characters are distinctly drawn and memorable. The pacing moves the story along with surprises and rewards. It's a delight to read writing this beautiful.

Terry Westby-Nunn is also the author of The Sea of Wise Insects.

BOTTOM LINE: This is an amazing book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

DISCLAIMER: Thank you to NetGalley / Penguin Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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THE HOUSE ON VESPER SANDS (2021)

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A clever ghost story set in Victorian London.

FIRST LINE: "In Half Moon Street, just as she came near to the house, Esther Tull felt the first gentleness of the snow."

THE STORY: On a snowy London evening during the dreary winter of 1893, mysterious and unpleasant events are taking place. A young woman makes a dreadful decision. A wealthy gentleman disappears. An impoverished divinity scholar seeks shelter in a church and discovers an incapacitated young woman. In the morning she is gone.

The scholar, Gideon, vows to find and rescue the girl. Happening upon Inspector Cutter, he passes himself off as police officer and he and the Inspector head off to investigate a string of missing young women.

Meanwhile Octavia Hillingdon, a reporter, is trying to convince her editor to let her stray from the women's page and follow up on the story of the missing young women.

WHAT I THOUGHT: The story unfolds slowly alternately introducing characters. Connections are not immediately obvious but make sense as the plot moves forward. A complicated tale but easy enough to follow.

Sherlockian in tone, the clever writing is amusing especially between 'Sergeant' Gideon and Inspector Cutter, but somewhere in the second half, the story seemed less of a piece and more of a mosaic of incidents. Still the mood created and the descriptive writing is definitely worth reading.

BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED for those who love historical fiction, ghost stories, literate mysteries.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of The House on Vesper Sands was provided to me by Tin House Books/Net Galley for an honest review.

Hardcover: 408 pages
Publisher: Tin House Books (January 12, 2021)

ISBN-10: 1951142241

ISBN-13: 978-1951142247

THE AUTHOR: Paraic O'Donnell

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website
Instagram
Goodreads
Twitter

Facebook
 

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A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES (2020)

A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES
by Ian Rankin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing.
About the dark times.
– Bertolt Brecht, The Svenborg Poems

Detective Inspector John Rebus has aged over the thirty some years since Knotts and Crosses was published, the stories mostly set in and around Edinburgh. Now retired and forced to move (downstairs) because of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), he is still as sharp and opinionated as ever.

FIRST LINE: "Siobhan Clarke walked through the emptied flat."

THE STORY: The phone call no parent wants to get comes at 5 a.m. His daughter is worried because her partner has been gone for two days. Then she confesses she has been having an affair. Against better judgement, Rebus leaves Edinburgh and heads North to help. On his long drive to Naver, he listens to a CD Siobhan made him called 'Songs for Dark Times'.

 

At the same time DI Siobhan Clarke, Rebus's protegee, and DI Malcolm Fox are beginning a new investigation into a murder in Edinburgh.

 

Unexpectedly there are parallels and connections between the two investigations.

 

WHAT I THOUGHT: I'm embarrassed to be late to the party having heard of Scottish author Ian Rankin but never having read him (or even watched the series). Now I have a glimpse of what I've missed: literate writing, fully drawn characters, interesting locations, a clever plot, a compelling conflict, and a satisfactory conclusion.

 

Alternating narratives have often annoyed me, but Rankin is a master. Refocusing is quick and like a duet, both stories have equal importance. To my mind, there is nothing more fascinating than following along as two intelligent people cleverly solve a puzzle.

 

A couple of other observations: Rankin provides details which make the world come alive for the readers; I began to notice that the end of Rebus' chapters seems to deserve a drum (ba-dum-bum) roll; and as DI Clark gets close to a solution, I could physically feel an increase in urgency in the writing.

 

The information on Camps during World War II, which held both British and then Germans (and others) at one time or another, was interesting especially since some of the German inmates chose to stay behind after the war. 

 

Besides the historical references, allusions to current happenings makes the book timely. My mantra is I want to read something that surprises me and that allows me to grow in understanding. It's all here.  

 

BOTTOM LINE: In Rankin's deft hand, details are filled in so new readers (like me) are not confused and regular series readers are not bored. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

 

DISCLAIMER: A copy of A Song for the Dark Times was provided to me by Little, Brown and Company /Net Galley for an honest review.

 

Hardcover:  336 pages 

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 13, 2020)
ISBN-10: 031647925X

ISBN-13: 978-0316479257

THE AUTHOR: Ian Rankin is a #1 international bestselling author. Winner of an Edgar Award and the recipient of a Gold Dagger for fiction and the Chandler-Fulbright Award, he lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.

 

BIG SKY (2019)

I have been a Kate Atkinson fan since Stephen King raved about Case Histories a number of years ago in Entertainment Weekly. Her earlier books are mostly literate mysteries featuring Jackson Brodie, former police inspector now a private investigator. I loved them all not to mention the free standing Life After Life, which I read twice.

This is the 5th book in the series which includes:
1. Case Histories (2004)
2. One Good Turn (2006)
3. When Will There Be Good News (2008)
4. Started Early, Took My Dog (2011)

Although you don't have to read them in order and Big Sky is certainly able to stand alone, there's much to enjoy by reading the whole series. Visit Kate Atkinson's offical website here.

FIRST LINE: "So what now?" he asked.

THE STORY: Jackson Brodie is living in a quiet seaside village on U.K.'s northeastern coast in order to share custody of his teenage son and an aging dog, with his ex-partner Julia. Now a private investigator his jobs seem reduced to spying on an unfaithful husbands.

While walking along the sea cliff one evening he ends up saving the life of a desperate man which draws him into a sinister network and back across the path of his friend Reggie. Old secrets and new lies intersect.

WHAT I THOUGHT: There are lots of characters to follow in this intricately plotted story with the narrative jumping from present to past and back again (but then that's typical Atkinson). If you pay attention, you'll have a sense of what's happening.

Of course, we are all in love with Jackson Brodie but other characters caught my attention this time out. Nathan, Brodie's recalcitrant son, is a typical teenager especially contrasted with Harry, Crystal's stepson, who is an amazing big brother to his half sister. Crystal herself is a character with a past but a heart of mostly gold. Actually Atkinson finds a way to keep us interested in all the various good and bad actors in the story.

Another bit of fun comes from identifying the popular allusions although I must confess I don't get them all. Doesn't matter. This is great storytelling.

QUOTES: "Perhaps the past was no longer the concept for the present. Perhaps none of it mattered anymore. Was this how the world would end - not with a bang but a 'So'?"

"He was becoming a walking, talking history lesson, a one-man folk museum, except that nobody was interested in learning anything from him."

BOTTOM LINE: All the usual features are here: fascinating characters, an elaborate story line, and literary and social media references. Do be aware that sex trafficking is involved. Highly recommended if you like literate mysteries.

Disclaimer: A copy of Big Sky was provided to me by Little, Brown and Company/Net Galley for an honest review.

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher:   Little, Brown and Company (June 25, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0316523097
ISBN-13:  978-0316523097

Kate Atkinson’s first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year Award. She has been a critically acclaimed, bestselling author ever since, with over one million copies of her books in print in the United States.

She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Case Histories, One Good Turn, When Will There Be Good News?, and Started Early, Took My Dog. Case Histories, which introduced her readers to Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, was made into a television series starring Jason Isaacs.

Kate Atkinson lives in Edinburgh (from Amazon).

GLASS HOUSES (2017) by Louise Penny

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes when one reads books in a series, quality varies. In the case of Louise Penny's Gamache series each title improves, gains depth. Taking the books in order prepares the reader to feel part of the community.Glass Houses is #13.


FIRST SENTENCE: "State your name, please."

THE STORY: Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, Armand Gamache and the people of Three Pines are puzzled by a mysterious figure standing immobile on the green. When the figure disappears, a murder takes place. Did someone pay a debt? The story begins in the courtroom some months later, when the suspect goes on trial. Gamache set the actions in motion. Was what he did right?

WHAT I THOUGHT: Sometimes I get annoyed when a story moves back and forth from the present to the past. But after the first jump in GLASS HOUSES, I had no trouble following the way the trial and the events leading up to it worked together.

Every one of Louise Penny's books has introduced the reader to something new. In this case it is the cobrador del frac. She explains that she created some of the legend to suit the story but the concept does exist.

Recently I've been disturbed by the amount of ugly violence in some of the thrillers I've read. I realized I prefer stories that demand a little more from the reader intellectually. Escape the real world and move to Three Pines.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you are a mystery reader, you HAVE to read this series.

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley/Minotaur for a fair review.

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels (Still Life, A Fatal Grace, and The Cruelest Month). She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (six times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.

GRIEF COTTAGE (2017) by Gail Godwin

Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publishers Weekly chose Grief Cottage as one of its best books for 2017. I'll second that, but if you check the reviews at Good Reads, they are mixed.

FIRST SENTENCE: "Once there was a boy who lost his mother."

The first sentence makes it clear to me that this remembered coming-of-age story, dealing with grief and loss, is part fairy tale and part ghost story .

THE STORY: When his mother dies suddenly, eleven year old Marcus is sent to live with a reclusive elderly relative on an island off South Carolina. Aunt Charlotte is an artist and points out a derelict house she has painted for years. 50 years earlier a family living there was lost during a hurricane. Marcus becomes fascinated with the family and their son since he cannot find their names in any of the accounts of the storm. His other fascination is with the turtles the community is guarding as they prepare for their birth and trek to the sea. These are his memories of the people and that summer.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I think my recent problem with lack of interest in reading may have more to do with the books I chose than reading itself. Godwin's writing fulfills all my requirements. I want to learn something new and I want the story to be told with great craft and skill. Godwin is a master. It's been many years since I read Finishing School, but I still recall being entranced. One reviewer on Good Reads mentioned the slowness of the story but isn't that the point? Every story has its rhythm.

When I was eleven (or so), I walked home from school rather than take the bus so I could explore a mansion that was in the processing of being torn down. I can still remember the fascination of exploring the many rooms and wondering about the lives of the people who had lived there.

In college I wrote a paper about Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Godwin even mentions this work in her note to the reader. For me, it's better not to be sure. When my father died, I ended up sleeping in his bed after attending the funeral. In that twilight before falling completely asleep, I felt a comforting hand adjust my blanket. I have always been sure that my father was saying a final good-bye.

There are so many ways that this book triggered memories for me. Even the characters suggested adults I knew growing up.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "I went back and tried to track the whole thing from the beginning, as you would trace on a map a route taken."

"Didn't something have to be one thing or the other, either real or imagined? Or could it be that the two things weren't mutually exclusive?"

"When we don't realize how remarkable someone is while they're still with us. Then after they're gone we wish we had told them, but when they were around we didn't know yet."

BOTTOM LINE: This was an amazingly satisfying read full of stories and interesting characters that are themselves mysteries. There's a languid pace to the book, which doesn't stop it from being totally compelling. By the end Godwin has carefully tied up all the threads of the stories, even those the reader might not have been expecting. Highly Recommended.

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition (June 6, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1632867044
ISBN-13: 978-1632867049

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley/Bloomsbury USA for a fair review.


Gail Godwin is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the bestselling author of twelve critically acclaimed novels, including Unfinished Desires, A Mother and Two Daughters, Violet Clay, Father Melancholy's Daughter, Evensong, The Good Husband, and Evenings at Five. She is also the author of The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961--1963, the first of two volumes, edited by Rob Neufeld. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts grants for both fiction and libretto writing, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has written libretti for ten musical works with the composer Robert Starer. She lives in Woodstock, New York (from Amazon).  

Short Takes 7/27/2017

Louise Penny has a new book coming out. GLASS HOUSES will be available August 29, 2017 from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

Here's a great article 20 MUST-READ NOVELS BY FEMALE MYSTERY AUTHORS. I've read seven of these authors but not necessarily the specific book mentioned: S.J Rozan; Minette Walters; Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell; Ngaio Marsh, P.D. James; and Patricia Highsmith.

14 Summer Reading Challenges for Adults Here's an interesting variety of reading challenges to inspire your summer reading.

Leslie Odom Jr has signed a book deal with Macmillan with a release date set for March 2018.

John Green has his first new novel, TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, in 6 years coming out this October. His last book was THE FAULT IN OUR STARS in 2012.

ENTRY ISLAND (2015)

Entry Island by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Peter May paints pictures with words to bring the reader into the world he has created. I started reading Entry Island expecting a modern day police procedural and was surprised to find the historical fiction aspect.

THE STORY: A murder has taken place on a small island off the coast of Quebec. Sime McKenzie finds himself assigned to the investigation team because the hundred or so people who live on Entry Island speak English not French.

What first appears as an open and shut case, takes an unexpected turn when Sime interviews the suspect and feels that he knows her.

Plagued by insomnia since his divorce, Sime's few hours of sleep contain vivid dreams composed of stories he heard as a child about his ancestor's life in Scotland.

WHAT I THOUGHT: My first Peter May book was The Blackhouse, part one of The Lewis Trilogy (The Lewis Man, The Chessmen). I always intended to read the other two books so when Entry Island appeared, I assumed it would be similar and, of course, in some ways it is.

Entry Island begins as a police procedural and morphs into historical fiction creating an engaging pastiche through the use of Sime's dreams and ancestral journals.

This may not appeal to all readers; but for those of us with roots in Scotland, who love journals, islands, and literate mysteries, it's a wonderful adventure.

The human characters are interesting and well-drawn but the most care is taken with the locations. Vivid word illustrations cause the reader to remember times they saw such a sunset or storm on the horizon. I found myself searching for pictures of the island on the internet. As much as I enjoyed the descriptive language, I sometimes had to force myself not to skip over it in pursuit of the story.

Obviously much research goes into May's works so there is the added pleasure of learning something new. The terror of the Highland Clearances in the 19th century resonates. My Mackay's left from Wick to come to Canada and eventually the United States around this time.

Although told in the third person, Sime's memories, dreams, and journal entries are told in the first person. Some reviewers pointed out the language was modern throughout. To that and some of the other criticisms, I would say forget your expectations (suspension of disbelief) and follow where the author leads you. You will have much more fun!

And I should admit that I was moved to tears many times. Peter May is gifted storyteller. You need to add his name to your list of authors to follow.

FIRST SENTENCE: "It is evident from the way the stones are set into the slope of the hill that industrious hands once toiled to make this pathway."

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who love language, police procedurals, and historical fiction.

DISCLAIMER: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

Title: Entry Island

Author: Peter May

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Publisher:  Quercus

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

No. of Pages: 544 pages

Copyright: September 15, 2015

ISBN-10: 162365663X

ISBN-13:  978-1623656638

Peter May is the multi award-winning author of:

• the internationally best-selling Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland;
• the China Thrillers, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell;
• the critically-acclaimed Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, which is set in France;
• and several standalone books, including the multi award-winning Entry Island (January 2014, Quercus UK) and his latest Runaway (Quercus 2015).

He has also had a successful career as a television writer, creator, and producer. Born and raised in Scotland he lives in France. (from the author's web site)

MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE (2011)

Miss Me When I'm Gone by Emily Arsenault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to Emily Arsenault.

A friend mentioned Miss Me When I'm Gone to me because she thought I would relate to the description of one of the characters as a collector of people. There were other aspects that drew me to the mystery as well.

THE STORY: Gretchen Water's successful writing career is cut short when she dies after falling down a long flight of stone steps outside a library. Jamie, her best friend since college, is asked to become literary executor of Gretchen's unfinished work.

The story is cleverly told by alternating writings from Gretchen's notes and her earlier book with first person narration from Jamie, who is pregnant with her first child. 

"Tammyland", is a memoir about the author's divorce interspersed with the lives of certain iconic women of country music. The amount of research that went into writing the sections purportedly from the actual book is massive and adds to the enjoyment even for those of us who aren't country music fans.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This is definitely what I call a literate mystery. It's not so much the action but the research into finding out why that is compelling. And while you're following along with Jamie as she tries to pay tribute to her friend, you'll learn a little about country music!

FIRST LINE: "This gem might be well known among seventies tabloid readers and longtime county music fans, but perhaps not to the general reader: Tammy Wynette once saved Burt Reynolds from drowning in a bubble bath."

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended for readers of Laura Lippman and Tana French.

Title: Miss Me When I'm Gone

Author: Emily Arsenault

Genre: Literate Mystery

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

No. of Pages: 336

Copyright: Original edition (July 31, 2012)

ISBN-10: 0062103105

ISBN-13: 978-0062103109

Emily Arsenault is also the author of The Broken Teaglass, In Search of the Rose Notes, and Miss Me When I'm Gone. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter. (From Amazon) Her newest book What Strange Creatures came out in original paperback July 22, 2014.

THE POISON TREE (2011)

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read Erin Kelly back in 2013 when her third book The Burning Air was offered on NetGalley. In my review I pledged to read both of her other books immediately since I had picked up her first The Poison Tree at a library book sale.

Since May of 2013 it has languished in a pile of other titles I have been meaning to read. Sometimes, just because the book is in the house or on my Kindle, it moves down the list. My loss because this is a truly compelling psychological suspense story.

OPENING LINE: "I let the telephone fall from my hand." With those few words, we are already drawn into the spiderweb.

The setting is London. Our narrator is Karen, an outstanding student and linguist, ready to graduate university. Her future is set. She just has to choose her path when she meets and becomes infatuated with Biba, an actress and free spirit. Eventually she moves into the crumbling mansion where Biba and her brother live. The lifestyle is bohemian and seductive and ultimately destructive. Lies and unspoken truths unfold layer by layer.

Even though the story jumps back in forth from 1997 to 2007, the transitions are beautifully handled. The reader is never confused about time and place. Erin Kelly writes so well that there were sentences I should have marked so I could find them again. These are the two things that make a book special for me: good writing and surprise. The Poison Tree has both.

Time to find a copy of The Dark Rose. 

BOTTOM LINE: If you like Kate Atkinson, Donna Tartt, or Tana French, you should try Erin Kelly. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Title: The Poison Tree

Author: Erin Kelly

Genre: Psychological Suspense, Thriller

Publisher: Viking / Penguin Books; Reprint edition (January 6, 2011)

No. of Pages: 336 pages

Copyright:2009 / Reprint 2011

ISBN-13: 978-0-670-02240-3

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Library book sale

Erin Kelly was born in London in 1976 and grew up in Essex. She read English at Warwick University and has been working as a journalist since 1998, writing for newspapers and magazines including Red, Psychologies, Marie Claire and Elle. She continues to write about health, lifestyle, women’s issues and parenting. Her fourth novel, The Ties that Bind, is out now, followed in August by Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the first season of 2013's mega-hit ITV series.

She lives in north London with her husband and daughters. (paraphrased from Erin Kelly's website)

VERY BAD MEN (2012)

Very Bad Men (David Loogan #2) by Harry Dolan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very Bad Men is the perfect title for the second story concerning David Loogan. As the tale is told, more and more of the characters earn that designation.

Harry Dolan's descriptions of character and place appeal to me. His plotting in this story is complicated but I never had any trouble keeping up. Rather than a roller coaster ride, which can be fun, Dolan varies his tempo. For me that makes it all the more compelling.

There are certain elements that make a review useful to the reader. It wasn't until I met someone who refused to read fiction written in the first person that I even paid any conscious attention to the voice.

Recently I read another blogger's review of a book I had previously read. They mentioned that the tension of the book came partly from the first person perspective the author had chosen to use to tell the story. My review didn't mention the fact.

Then I read a review of Very Bad Men that was not comfortable with Harry Dolan's choice to use both voices in one novel. I thought the transitions were obvious and  quite appropriate in moving the story along.

Dolan's style is noir and sparse, but not inelegant. Even though the story is set around the time of the Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan (July), which should conjure up a colorful world, the pictures in my head were black and white movie with lots of shades of grey. Partly it is this air of moral ambiguity that I find attractive.

David Loogan, has taken over as editor of a mystery magazine after the death of the previous editor, a friend. He has become close to Detective Elizabeth Waishkey who appears in Bad Things Happen. Loogan is a good man but struggles with guidelines that don't always serve the moment. That's part of his charm.

A manuscript left at the offices of the mystery magazine, Gray Streets, seems to be connected to a Northern Michigan bank robbery gone wrong seventeen years earlier.

Bottom Line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but start with Bad Things Happen because you are apt to want to read all this author's books.

Title: Very Bad Men

Author:  Harry Dolan

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam

No. of Pages: 432 pages

Copyright: July 7, 2011

ISBN:  0399157492

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Harry Dolan's latest book The Last Dead Girl goes on sale today (January 9, 2014) and the author will be speaking and signing at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor. He graduated from Colgate University, where he majored in philosophy and studied fiction-writing with the novelist Frederick Busch. He grew up in Rome, New York, and now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Harry Dolan at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor!

Thursday, January 9th at 7:00 pm Meet Ann Arbor Author Harry Dolan for a Discussionand Signing of His New Book, The Last Dead Girl

Local author Harry Dolan will be at Nicola's Books for a reading and signing of his new mystery 'The Last Dead Girl'. In this prequel to 'Bad Things Happen', David Loogan's dark past is revealed. A chance encounter on a lonely road leads David into romance with Jana Fletcher, a beautiful young law student. When she is brutally murdered, he becomes the main suspect and sets out to find the truth with her killer watching his every move.  More Information

 

                          

Sara Paretsky at Nicola's October 21, 2013

Best Selling author Sara Paretsky will be doing her first event for Critical Mass at Nicola's in Ann Arbor the evening of Monday, October 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm. You can find more details HERE.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN (2013)

Louise Penny's latest entry in her Chief Inspector Gamache series went on sale August 27, 2013. I was lucky enough to score an ARC (advanced reading copy) months ago but put off reviewing the book because I was afraid my words would not do it justice.

So instead I offer a link to a review written by librarian Judie Evans of How the Light Gets In via Shelf Awareness. You'll have to scroll down to find it on the webpage.

One caveat though. Do not start reading the series with this title. You are guaranteed to fall in love with the village of Three Pines and its residents. Begin your journey with the very first book Still Life.

Catching Up - The Blackhouse

The list of books I have read but not gotten around to reviewing has grown.

To clear out that backlog, I offer the following mini-review:

The Blackhouse is actually the first book in the Lewis Trilogy. It is dark and drear and absolutely compelling. The remote Isle of Lewis is still attached to the old ways including the hunting of the gugas.

Gannets - Gugas are the chicks

Book Two is The Lewis Man and reviewers on Amazon say it is even better than the first book. Book Three is The Chessmen. Neither title is available directly from Amazon, only third party sellers. They have been requested to be purchased for the Jackson District Library.

Fin Macleod escaped his childhood on this isolated island and now serves as a police detective in Edinburgh. When a brutal murder on the island has similarities to a crime Fin is investigating, he is ordered to return to the island and is plunged back into his unhappy past.

Author Peter May is well-known in the United Kingdom as an "acclaimed author and television dramatist".  His description of the bleak environment and the lives of the people is mesmerizing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Death Angel (2013)

Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been awhile since I have read one of Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper stories. What I enjoy is how she weaves secrets of New York City into her procedurals. This time the crime occurs in Central Park and becomes connected to the Dakota allowing her to share wonderful historical and present day information about those locations.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy through Net Galley. This title will go on sale July 30, 2013.


View all my reviews

 

Available Today! - LIFE AFTER LIFE

I have already declared this book my favorite of 2013. Read it and tell me what YOU think.