Review of "All The Dangerous Things: A Psychological Thriller" by Stacy Willingham

Freelance writer Isabelle Drake thought she had the ideal life.

A wonderful husband Ben;



a beloved 18-month-son Mason;



a beautiful home in Savannah, Georgia, etc.



Then one year ago, when Isabelle and Ben were sound asleep, little Mason was taken from his crib....and Isabelle's life spiraled into despair.



Since Mason disappeared, Isabelle's only sleep has been brief catnaps, and her days have been consumed with searching for her son. Savannah Police Detective Arthur Dozier appears to be making no progress with the case.....



....so Isabelle takes it upon herself to speak at true-crime conferences, her only recompense being a list of attendees....which might include the kidnapper.



Isabelle's dining room wall resembles a police whiteboard, with photos of friends, acquaintances, neighbors, sex offenders, crime conference attendees, and other people of interest - including information about them from the internet, newspapers, social media, and so on. Isabelle obsesses over her 'research', in hopes of identifying the perpetrator.



Both the police and Isabelle's husband Ben urge her to move on, and Isabelle's marriage has fallen apart. Ben is now living elsewhere and dabbling in the dating scene.

Isabelle feels she has no supporters until she meets a true crime podcaster named Waylon Spencer. Waylon once solved a cold case, and he and Isabelle form an alliance in hopes of discovering what happened to Mason.



The story skips back and forth between the past and present, and we learn that young Isabelle lived in Buford, Georgia with her parents and little sister Margaret. As a youngster, Isabelle was a sleepwalker who could never recall her nighttime ramblings.



We also discover that Isabelle's romance with Ben started as a sort of 'platonic affair' when he was married to his first wife.



The book is full of twists, most of which I didn't anticipate. So well done Stacy Willingham.

This is a gripping psychological thriller that would appeal to many fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, Stacy Willingham, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the novel.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Favor: A Novel of Suspense" by Nora Murphy

 Leah Dawson, a lawyer.....

.....and McKenna Hawkins, a pediatrician, are well-educated women who never imagined they would be the victims of domestic abuse.



However both women find themselves in toxic marriages, and they don't see a way out.

Leah's husband Liam is a successful attorney.....



.....and McKenna's spouse Zackary is a flourishing psychiatrist. During the courtship period both men seem ideal: handsome, thoughtful, caring, successful; etc.



After Leah and Liam marry, however, Liam proceeds to isolate his wife from her family and friends; gets Leah fired from her job; relegates Leah to a locked bedroom in the basement; tracks Leah's activities; limits Leah's access to money; and finally becomes violent.



To cope with the terrible situation Leah drinks vodka all day long, and there's barely a moment when she's completely sober.



McKenna and Zachary's union follows a similar path. After McKenna suffers a miscarriage early in the marriage, Zachary - whose self-image requires 'the perfect family' - segregates McKenna from her friends and relatives; makes McKenna quit her job; installs an app to track McKenna's phone; takes complete charge of the couple's finances; and so on - supposedly to insure a successful pregnancy next time.



Leah and McKenna each think about divorce, but they know their attractive, successful, husbands - who are well-liked in the outside world - can 'gaslight' people to make their wives look bad (if not crazy). Moreover, the men have the resources to make divorce proceedings extremely difficult. In addition, Liam shows his wife a gun, and threatens to kill Leah's mother if Leah leaves him.



Though both couples live in the same Maryland suburb, Leah and McKenna don't know each other. Serendipitously, however, Leah is making her usual liquor store run when she happens to see McKenna in the same shop. Leah - who's puffy and disheveled from drinking - notes that McKenna, who's svelte, well-dressed, blonde, and blue-eyed, looks like a previous incarnation of Leah herself.....in her happier days.

Leah impulsively decides to follow McKenna home, and she parks where she can see into McKenna's house. This activity becomes an obsession for Leah, and she repeatedly spies on the other woman.



To make a long story short, Leah - who knows the signs of domestic abuse from her own sorry situation - notes that McKenna is being bullied by Zachary..... and Leah impetuously takes action.

That's all I can say without major spoilers.

At the end of the book the author Nora Murphy - who's a family law attorney - notes that domestic abuse is endemic, and not confined to people of low socioeconomic status. Murphy observes, "abuse also occurs in many relationships marked by high levels of education and affluence....For these types of relationships, financial and psychological abuse may be more common than physical abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking. Thus it may be more hidden, more difficult to prove." Thus springs the idea for this book.

The story is a fast-moving page-turner, recommended to fans of domestic thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nora Murphy, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Clouds Without Water: A Novel" by Garry Harper

 

It's the mid-19th century and Calvary, New York is a farming town with God-fearing residents who attend a Baptist chapel called Calvary Church every Sunday.



The church was founded by Reverend Samuel Miller.....



......whose designated successor is his son William.



William leaves Calvary to attend the seminary, and - after the death of Reverend Samuel - the church is temporarily led by Brother Thomas Aleman. Meanwhile, William studies the scriptures for two decades, then returns to Calvary in 1844 to take his rightful place as head of the congregation.

Brother William's biblical studies convince him the End-of-Days is imminent. He preaches that every moment leading up to the End-of-Days is captured in the scriptures, and the Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded by horrors and havoc.



The pastor goes on to say he's calculated the exact date of the Second Coming, which will occur in six months.....on October 22, 1844. This gives Calvary citizens a mere half-year to prepare their souls for salvation.



Some residents of Calvary subscribe to Brother William's proselytizing, while others are skeptical. Doubters include Pastor Thomas Aleman - who clandestinely tries to get the Baptist Convention to censure Brother William;



Henry Smith - a widowed farmer raising three children, one of whom has severe breathing problems;



and Helen Chandler - the oldest woman in Calvary and a descendant of the town's founding familes. In fact Helen declares to the congregation that Brother William is a charlatan.



Brother William's advocates feel vindicated when 'calamities' start to descend on Calvary. First, non-believer Helen and her daughter are walking down the street when lightning strikes Helen and she's killed, her flesh burned away. Champions of Brother William believe this is a sign from God.



The believers' feelings are reinforced when a torrent of locusts sweeps across Calvary, devouring all the grain fit for human consumption. This leaves many residents impoverished and struggling to feed their familes.



As time passes, Brother William attracts more and more followers, especially after Josiah Young - owner and editor of a struggling newspaper called the Calvary Crier - devotes his paper to the Second Coming;



and the schoolmarm Mrs. Edwards begins to exclusively teach Brother Williams sermons.



The pastor's followers develop a cult mentality. Many start dressing in long white robes with hoods that shroud their faces. They also give up their usual activities to pray at church all day, hoping God will deem them worthy of saving.



Followers of Brother William are absolutely convinced about their beliefs, and NOTHING will dissuade them. Believers will say and do anything to prove they're right, and the situation in Calvary grows dark.

The author seems to be very familiar with the scriptures, and the novel contains MANY pages of sermons and biblical chatter. This gets tedious and slows down the story.

Still this is an interesting novel, well worth reading, especially in the current climate, where huge lies are disseminated as truth.

Thanks to Netgalley and Garry Harper for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America" by Psyche A. Williams-Forson

Dr. Psyche A. Williams-Forson is a professor, speaker, scholar, and author of several books on African American food cultures and history.

Dr. Psyche A. Williams-Forbes

In 'Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America' Williams-Forson observes that Black people's lives - including their food choices - are constantly being policed, surveilled, and vilified. She goes on to say that, "Somebody is always watching, waiting to tell Black people what they should and should not, can and cannot, eat."



According to the author, the custom of policing Black people's consumption comes from a broader history of trying to control Black lives from a position of white privilege and power. In current times, Black people are urged to 'eat healthy'......



.....which would (presumably) require limiting consumption of 'soul food' like fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens with pork, macaroni and cheese, spoonbread, chitlins, etc.



Food is central to everyone's culture, and operates on multiple levels beyond merely satisfying our stomachs. For instance, foods we're accustomed to are affiliated with our memories, and help us feel connected to our families and communities. Williams-Forson notes, "African Americans self-define and reinforce group identities through their expressive culture: food, clothing, dance, speech and language, games, and so forth." Asking Black people to change their eating habits is like "interrupting and disrupting [their] lifeways."







Moreover, the author observes that Black people are as varied in food practices as anyone else in America. They eat from fast-food chains, Whole Foods, farmers markets, their own gardens, the dollar store, supermarkets, etc. They eat fresh, frozen, and canned. They are carnivores, vegans pescatarians, and vegetarians.



So why are African-Americans criticized for their food choices?

In fact, Black people not alone in this. William-Forbes writes, "Almost all cultures of people experience food shaming as well as fat- and body image- shaming." In this book, though, the author concentrates on African American people. She notes, "From incendiary and denigrating images of African Americans with chicken and watermelon, to policies that suggest African Americans have the worst health records, to arguments that food is the culprit in our early deaths, racist ideas are continuously contrived in order to try to convince us and society at large of Black inferiority."



Williams-Forbes goes to say that fuller and rounder Black people's bodies are seen as evidence of laziness or slothfulness rather than as attractive and Rubenesque. As a consequence, African American women "are beset by the emotional, physiological, and political consequences of race and gender shaming. This shaming has tangible, even disastrous consequences."

The author asserts that all this stems from racism, be it conscious or unconscious. In addition, those who advocate 'eating healthy' (consuming more fruits and vegetables) don't take into consideration the fact that farmers' markets and well-supplied supermarkets are sometimes scarce in Black neighborhoods.



Williams-Forbes believes it's best if Black people are in charge of their own culinary lives, and other people - who know little about Black history and culture - should mind their own business. The author writes, "At the heart of much food shaming and attempts at regulating is a lack of awareness and understanding of cultural differences." Sadly, food shaming has practical consequences, as many African Americans avoid eating chicken and watermelon in public.

The author is generous with quotes and examples that illustrate her points, including observations from professors, scholars, social media, and journalists; scenes from books, movies, and TV shows; photos from library archives; her personal experiences; and so on. Pictures are included in the book, which illustrate some of Williams-Forbes arguments.


Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White and Jeffrey Wright as Valentin Narcisse in “Boardwalk Empire”

Though the author defends African American food habits, she does not mean to imply that 'eating healthy' is unimportant. Williams-Forbes writes, "Creating healthy bodies requires a redefinition of the food stories that define our cultures....Rather than urging people to change what they eat, a more effective approach may be to help communities incorporate healthier preparation techniques and ingredients into foods already rich in cultural meaning."



Williams-Forbes strays from the topic of food quite a bit, frequently addressing other aspects of Black oppression, such as the historic middle passage and hundreds of years of slavery; discrimination in housing, employment, and education; Black people being seen as criminals; African Americans being considered cheap and uncouth; discriminatory agricultural practices; violence against African Americans; and more.



Though these topics are interesting, their insertion makes the book choppy.

The narrative is interesting and informative, and there are extensive notes at the end, detailing the author's research. Recommended to readers interested in the subject.

Thanks to Netgalley, Psyche A. Williams-Forbes, and the University of North Carolina Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars