Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Review of "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat: A Novel" by Edward Kelsey Moore




The Supremes are three African-American girlfriends who bonded as teenagers in Plainview, Indiana in the 1960s, and remained friends for all their lives.

Odette - a short, round woman who's self-confident and assertive - had a happy childhood with two jazz-loving parents. Odette grew up to marry a sensitive man called James, and they raised three loving and successful children. 




Unknown to most people, Odette often converses with ghosts, particularly her mother and Eleanor Roosevelt (ha ha ha). 😃


Eleanor Roosevelt

Clarice is a talented musician whose daddy encouraged her ambition to be a concert pianist. Clarice abandoned her dream when she wed handsome football star Richmond, a womanizer who embarrasses and hurts Clarice with his constant, blatant adultery. Richmond's behavior chagrins Clarice's friends.



Barbara Jean, whose mother was a drug addict and prostitute, grew up to be the town beauty and local fashionista. Barbara Jean married a wealthy businessman and tragically lost a young son - an event that deeply affected her life.



After church on Sundays the three couples assemble for lunch at 'Earl's All-You-Can-Eat' to dine and schmooze.



As the story proceeds we learn about life-altering events associated with Earl's restaurant - many witnessed by kind fatherly Earl himself. Everyone loves Earl, who's always ready to lend a helping hand.....particularly to troubled teens.



Racism, prevalent during the events of the story, profoundly affects the lives of the Plainview residents.

All the major characters are fully realized, believable, and relatable - and the male author was able to capture the voices of his female characters with great authenticity.

I thought the book was funny, profound, dramatic, and sad in turn, and well worth reading.🎈


Rated: 4 stars

Review of "Pretty Girls: A Novel of Suspense" by Karin Slaughter




At one time the Carrolls, living near Atlanta, were a happy family. The dad, Sam, was a veterinarian; the mom, Helen, was a librarian....



…..and the three pretty blonde daughters - Julia, Lydia, and Claire - were in school.



Then, when she was nineteen years old, Julia vanished and the family was torn apart.

The local sheriff and his officers investigated but thought that Julia was a rebellious teen who took off on her own and would come back on her own. But she never did. Julia's father Sam continued to relentlessly pursue the case, haunting the police station and searching for his daughter until he was driven to suicide. Julia's mom Helen, needing to get on with life, divorced Sam and remarried - but she kept Julia's room intact for remembrance.



Julia's sisters, Lydia and Claire, matured in this broken household - where they suffered greatly from Julia's disappearance. Lydia became a drug addict who lied, stole, and became estranged from her family. Later on, Lydia had a daughter and developed a relationship with her neighbor Rick, which provided her some peace.



Meanwhile, Claire went to college where she met wealthy Paul Scott, a budding architect. They eventually married and lived in luxury, with a huge home, pricey clothes, club memberships, and expensive cars.



As the story opens Claire Scott - now in her late thirties - has just been released from house arrest after violently assaulting a tennis partner. The Scotts celebrate Julia's freedom by dining at a classy eatery. When the couple leaves the restaurant, however, a mugger attacks them, robs them, roughs them up, and stabs Paul to death.



A day or so later Paul’s business partner, Adam, asks Claire to send him files from Paul’s home computer for a business presentation. While looking for the files Claire comes across a cache of shocking snuff pornography, and assumes her husband was a fan.



That would be bad enough, but the truth turns out to be even worse.

Almost immediately Claire’s troubles escalate when - following a foiled burglary at her home - a number of cops show up, ranging from the local sheriff to an FBI agent from the Georgia office.



Claire is understandably puzzled by this over-reaction to an attempted theft, but is eventually told that Paul embezzled money from his firm.

When Claire starts to question what was going on with Paul she learns about a snuff pornography conspiracy and calls on her estranged sister Lydia to help her investigate. A lot happens afterwards, and there are some surprising twists.

The book is very graphic in it’s description of violence to women, which I found hard to read. My main criticism of the book, though, hinges on unrealistic behavior by some of the characters.

In real life a woman like Claire – who has experience with lawyers and is rich – would probably call a high-powered attorney or the Washington office of the FBI when she senses big trouble. Instead Claire calls her sister, and together they embark on a dangerous investigation.



This is necessary for the book's plot but it doesn’t ring true. I also thought the seemingly omniscient perp – who knew everything that was going on everywhere - was not credible.

A number of ancillary characters add interest to the story, including the local cops who seem indifferent and incompetent; a creepy Georgia-based FBI agent; Paul's partner Adam, who had an affair with Claire; Lydia's boyfriend Rick, who seems like a nice guy; dad Sam Carroll - whose letters to his missing daughter are interspersed throughout the book; mom Helen Carroll, who's willing to help in a pinch; and others.

Karin Slaughter's books tend to be violent and disturbing and this one is at the top of the heap in that regard.



Still this is a well-written, compelling thriller that I’d recommend to mystery lovers who have a strong stomach.


Rating: 4 stars

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Review of "The Last Dead Girl: A David Loogan Mystery" by Harry Dolan




In this 3rd book in the 'David Loogan' series, the protagonist (aka David Malone) gets involved in a murder inquiry when his girlfriend is killed. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****



David Malone - a house inspector in Rome, New York - is engaged to a young doctor when he makes the chance acquaintance of law student Jana Fletcher. Malone falls hard for Jana and spends the next 10 days with her - until she's brutally murdered.



Malone is an early suspect but attention soon shifts elsewhere and Malone begins his own investigation. He discovers that Jana was working with a law professor on an "innocence project", trying to prove that Gary Pruett, a convicted high school teacher, didn't kill his wife.



During Malone's investigation he finds that a police detective may have suborned perjury to help convict Pruett. Moreover, other people in Jana's orbit have been attacked or murdered, including a woman living on Jana's street and the jailhouse snitch who testified against Pruett. Pruett himself claims that a couple of former students - one dead and one missing - killed his wife.



As the story moves along we learn that several people in the area, including Jana, have been harboring shocking secrets that explain the local "crime spree". To say more would spoil the surprises that Dolan packs into the story. This book's intricate structure and startling twists puts it a step above the usual mystery novel. Highly recommended.


Rating: 5 stars

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Review of "All the King's Men: A Novel" by Robert Penn Warren




Meaning to do good, Willie Stark rises from self-educated lawyer to political bigwig and eventually governor. Along the way he loses his moral compass and develops a taste for power, resorting to bullying, bribery, blackmail - whatever it takes - to get what he wants.







Willie does manage to help some of his constituents, taxing the wealthy to provide schools and hospitals for the poor. But he also betrays his wife; raises a selfish, self-absorbed son; corrupts good people; and eventually reaps the consequences of his actions.





Willie's story is told by Jack Burden, a journalist who signs on to be Willie's right hand man. Thinking of himself as essentially a good guy Jack believes he's 'only doing his job' when he betrays some of his closest friends at Willie's behest.





I gave the book 4 stars (rather than 5) because the philosophical rantings of some characters was tedious and incomprehensible (to me). Overall, this is a superbly written book with fascinating characters and the trajectory of a Greek tragedy. Though published in the 1940s the book seems just as relevant today in it's depiction of political machinations. Highly recommended.


Rating: 4 stars

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Review of "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: A Novel" by Karen Joy Fowler




Rosemary Cooke talked non-stop as a child in Bloomington, Indiana but grew up to be a quiet student at The University of California, Davis. She's been in college too long, unable to settle on a major and troubled by the long ago disappearance of her sister and brother.



We come to learn that Rosemary's father was an experimental psychologist and - around the time Rosemary was born - the Cooke family took in an infant chimp to raise as a member of the family. The chimp, Fern, was reared as a sister to Rosemary and her older brother Lowell until she 'disappeared' when Rosemary was five years old.





Karen Joy Fowler does a masterful job of slowly revealing how this incident profoundly affected the Cooke household. We come to know, understand, and empathize with each member of the family (mom, dad, Lowell, and Rosemary) as they deal with the effects of this aborted experiment. Some light relief is provided by Rosemary's interactions with college acquaintances, which also gives us insight into her behavior and personality.

This is a deeply moving, though somewhat disturbing, story with lessons to teach about how humans treat our fellow animals. Good book, highly recommended.



Rating: 5 stars

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Review of "Death of a Liar: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery" by M.C. Beaton




In this 30th book in the 'Hamish Macbeth' series, the Scottish detective investigates a woman's murder and a couple's disappearance while navigating his complicated personal life. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

When a woman in the Scottish village of Cronish falsely reports that she was raped Sergeant Hamish Macbeth thinks of her as the 'woman who cried wolf' and ignores her next call for help. Unfortunately her body is soon found in her house and her death seems to be connected with the disappearance of a couple who recently moved to Hamish's village of Lochdubh.



Hamish investigates the cases and as usual, Detective Inspector Blair - an alcoholic and barely competent officer - tries to sideline Hamish and get the credit for himself.

Hamish also socializes a bit with his ex-girlfriends Priscilla and Elspeth as he simultaneously tries to get a date with Anka, a polish beauty who's a deft hand at baking baps (Scottish breakfast rolls).





Unfortunately for Hamish, Anka is more friendly to Hamish's assistant Dick Fraser - a homebody cop who's excellent at cooking, cleaning, and keeping the police station (and police home) in tip top shape.



Through it all Hamish gathers clues that help him discover the connection between the crimes and solve the cases.

A large part of the fun of the series lies in the interactions between Hamish and the other characters, especially those that recur from book to book. Hamish resents Dick Fraser for cramping his style with the ladies; dislikes Blair for messing up investigations and trying to get the Lockdubh police station closed; and longs for a lady to love.

Though problems often arise and Hamish's life is sometime endangered he's never down for long. It seems the Scottish detective was born under a lucky star.



The mystery plot of the book is engaging and satisfactorily resolved. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of light mysteries. A good addition to the series.


Rating: 3 stars

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Review of "The Long Way Home: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel" by Louise Penny




In this 10th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the former police detective helps search for a 'lost' husband. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****



Clara and Peter Morrow are residents of the lovely village of Three Pines near Montreal along with a cadre of other interesting and eccentric characters, including former Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec (Quebec Homicide Bureau). Both Clara and Peter are artists, but Peter became jealous of his wife's increasing success and impossible to live with, so Clara asked him to leave for a year.



After that time Peter was supposed to return so they could re-evaluate their marriage. Peter didn't come back (or communicate in any fashion) so Clara asks Gamache to help her find out what, if anything, happened to her husband.

It's a promising beginning that doesn't pan out. The story wanders much too far from a detective novel, being mostly a treatise on art and muses. Even visiting with familiar, well-liked characters was unsatisfying because they mostly just blabbed on and on about art. I like and appreciate art but I wanted to read a mystery, not an art book - and this book didn't deliver. I don't recommend it.


Rating: 2 stars

Friday, August 19, 2016

Review of "Wicked Ways: A Paranormal Novel" by Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush




Elizabeth Gaines - wife, mother, and real estate agent living in California - seems to have a unique problem. People who infuriate her die soon afterwards, including her overbearing boss, a nasty cop, her cheating husband, a rude driver, and so on. Elizabeth feels anxious and guilty about this, and in the case of her husband, comes under suspicion by the police.



Elizabeth, an adoptee, does seem to have some unusual abilities. As a child she predicted a bridge collapse - but this is a far cry from 'wishing' people to death. Elizabeth's little daughter Chloe also seems to have some psychic ability, but she's a stubborn, headstrong child determined to get her way - not a sweet little girl.



Elizabeth's social group consists mostly of the women in a 'mother's group', a friendship/support group for young moms. Some of the ladies are quite inappropriate though, attempting to set Elizabeth up with a new man less than a week after her husband's death. (Would anyone really do this?) Moreover, the women and their husbands, who are recurring characters in the story, are hard to disinguish from one another.



Elizabeth's blood relatives - who are unknown to her - live in an old-fashioned, insular community in Oregon and also seem to have unusual powers. Getting the sense that Elizabeth is in danger Aunt Catherine dispatches 19-year-old cousin Ravinia to find and warn her. Ravinia takes off with a few wrinkled clothes and very little money and makes her way to California along with a supernatural wolf who seems to shadow her.



In California Ravinia inveigles a private detective, Rex Kingston, to help her. Though Kingston tries to keep his distance, Ravinia keeps inserting herself into his life and his investigations, insisting she wants to be a partner in the detective business. To me this was not only pushy and annoying but unrealistic and I didn't like Ravinia.

The book follows two story lines. The first is Elizabeth and her everyday troubles: people are dying around her; the police suspect her of killing hubby; she's almost broke; unwanted men are asking her out; fellow realtors resent her recent success; her daughter is having spells, etc. The second is Ravinia's search for for Elizabeth.

Neither thread is very compelling. Moreover the end of the book, which supposedly explains what's going on, is so convoluted as to be almost incomprehensible - and the reason for the danger to Elizabeth is never made completely clear.



I didn't think this was a terrible book but there seem to be some missing elements. Still, fans of paranormal mysteries might enjoy the story.

Rating: 2.5 stars