Review of "Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel" by Jonathan Kellerman

In this 25th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, a female teacher at an exclusive prep school dies in odd circumstances. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Windsor Prep Academy is a pricey, exclusive high school that prides itself on sending many of its graduates to top universities like Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. - schools that are notoriously hard to get accepted to. So when a Windsor Prep English teacher, Elise Freeman, is found murdered in a bathtub full of dry ice......



......having left behind a videotape accusing three male colleagues of sexual harassment - it's a seismic event to the school's administrators, teachers, parents, and students.







A scandal like this might derail Windsor Prep pupils' chances of going to their preferred colleges! 😨

Detective Milo Sturgis gets the case.....



......and investigates with the help of his friend Alex Delaware - a psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department.



Unfortunately the sleuths are immediately hamstringed by the Police Chief, whose son attends Windsor Prep. The boy is applying to Yale, and the Chief means for him to get in.



Thus, the top cop practically orders Milo to find a perp who's NOT associated with the school, like Elise's boyfriend.....or some other scumbag.

Of course, no investigation can proceed like this, and Milo largely ignores the Chief's instructions, no matter the blowback. Nevertheless, Milo and Alex make slow progress because the President of Windsor Prep - who's an entitled snob - stonewalls; the teachers are evasive, and the students - many of whom have a snarky, privileged attitude - lie. 👨‍



Little by little, it becomes clear that Elise Freeman was a sexually aggressive woman with a lot of secrets; her boyfriend is a gambler and grifter; the high school students aren't above reproach; and someone is desperately trying to hide wrongdoing. 😈

The investigation consists mostly of Milo and Alex going around questioning people, along with some data mining online. That's it. There's almost no reference to forensic evidence, fingerprints, DNA, hair - all that stuff you see on CSI. In addition, the author has a tic of describing every character in enormous detail, recounting all aspects of their physical appearance and clothing. (I think Kellerman must troll fashion sites.) This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it slows the story down.

In between police interviews/interrogations there are the obligatory scenes of Milo raiding Alex's refrigerator to make enormous sandwiches; Alex chatting with his longtime girlfriend Robin; people petting/playing with Alex's French bulldog Blanche; and conversations about Milo being gay.



Milo also gets chewed out and lectured by the Police Chief periodically. The unfortunate Chief is in a tough spot: he DOES want the real murderer nailed but he also wants to keep scandal away from Windsor Prep, for his son's sake. (I was hoping the son was the murderer, just for fun....but I can't say of course.)

In the end, the motive for the murder is realistic, but the perp's modus operandi is way out in left field. If all murderers had schemes like this, detectives would make an arrest every time.

Though this isn't among Jonathan's Kellerman's best books, the mystery is reasonably interesting.....and the high schoolers determination to pad their resumés and get good test scores rings true. I'd recommend the book to mystery fans who want a non-taxing read to pass the time.



Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer: Queen of the Village Mystery" by M.C. Beaton

In this 29th book in the 'Agatha Raisin' series, the private detective looks into multiple murders in the town of Thirk Magna. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

The Cotwolds in England, which are a popular tourist destination, look picturesque and placid. However, they provide plenty of work for private detective Agatha Raisin, who lives in the village of Carsely. Agatha isn't a beauty, but she's a fashionable middle-aged woman with good legs and glossy hair. Thus she attracts a lot of men, and would like to make one of them her third husband.

In this book, Agatha gets drawn into nefarious occurrences in the nearby town of Thirk Magna. Thirk Magna's 'St. Ethelred's Church' has a dedicated group of bell-ringers, who have taken up campanology for a variety of reasons. For the fortyish identical twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin, it's a family legacy; for other bell-ringers, it's an opportunity to get out of the house, exercise, flirt, have fun, etc.



As the book opens, twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin are in a dither because the sexy, handsome, unmarried Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley is coming to Thirk Magna for an extended visit. The Bishop is raising funds for an old-age home, and plans to attend a bell-ringing and a reception. The twins hope to ingratiate themselves with Salver-Hinkley.....and fall all over themselves to try to attract and hold his attention.

Meanwhile, Agatha Raisin DOES catch the Bishop's eye, and even goes to dinner with him - but she loses interest quickly.



The Dupin siblings, however, are jealous, and decide that Agatha Raisin - and all other women friendly with the Bishop - are their worst enemies. The twins don't realize it, but the Bishop is only interested in women for their money, and will cozy up to any lady with a big bank account. In fact, Salver-Hinkley once had wealthy young fiancé, but she disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

Before long, Thirk Magna begins to be plagued with murders, some of which appear connected to the bell-ringers. Agatha starts to investigate the killings, but soon loses her focus because she's busy chasing men. Agatha's always been man-crazy, but in this book her pursuit of one paramour after another is over the top and desperate.



Besides potential lovers, Agatha socializes with a cadre of men who are (for the most part) just friends, including: Sir Charles Fraith - a destitute aristocrat who's constantly cadging restaurant meals, money, and cigarettes; James Lacey - Agatha's ex-husband and next door neighbor, who always seems to be getting re-married; Bill Wong - a young cop Agatha took under her wing; Patrick - Agatha's gay former business associate; and others.

Unfortunately, the book has parts that are almost incomprehensible. In fact, it feels like chunks of the story are missing. For instance, in one chapter Agatha is deeply agonized over a married lover that's gone back to his wife.....and it's all a big scandal. However, we NEVER got to see Agatha even speak to this man, much less fall in love and get involved in a brouhaha. I went back and forth trying to find this part, to no avail. And this kind of thing happens repeatedly. I listened to the audiobook version of the novel, and it's possible there was some mishap in its production, but - if so - that's on the publisher.

Other than that, the mystery portion of the book follows the usual arc seen in Agatha Raisin books. The detective bumbles around, makes the perp (or perps) nervous, and endangers her own life as a result. Eventually, Agatha exposes the scoundrel(s).

I'm a fan of Agatha Raisin but can't recommend this book. I hope future entries in the series are better.

Rating: 2 stars

Review of "Deck the Hounds: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

In this 18th book in the "Andy Carpenter" series, the defense attorney takes on the case of a homeless man accused of murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

On the day before Thanksgiving Andy Carpenter is feeling especially appreciative. He's a rich defense attorney with a great wife and son, and tomorrow he'll be "gorging on great food and football." So when Andy sees a homeless man bundled in blankets, with a cute golden retriever mix beside him, the lawyer gives the man twenty bucks and a PetSmart gift card. The man, who's very articulate, thanks Andy on behalf of himself and his dog Zooey.




The next day, after Andy's family finish their Thanksgiving feast - turkey, candied yams, mashed potatoes, veggies, a spectacular corn crème brûlée, and dessert - Andy sees a news report about the homeless man.




Delicious corn crème brûlée

The unfortunate homeless man was attacked on the street the night before, but managed to fight off his assailant with the help of Zooey, who bit the offender. Now the intended victim is on television asking for his dog, who was taken to an animal shelter for ten days to check for rabies.

Encouraged by his wife Laurie and son Ricky, who are already celebrating Christmas - which lasts from Thanksgiving to February in Laurie's eyes - Andy decides to help the bereft man. Andy - who has connections -retrieves Zooey, collects her owner, and installs them both in a garage apartment at his New Jersey home. Zooey immediately makes friends with Andy's golden retriever Tara, and the new residents settle in.



The next day a newspaper publishes a human interest story about Andy's good deed and mentions the homeless man's name, Dan Carrigan. Almost immediately, the cops swarm Andy's house and arrest his guest. It seems Carrigan is wanted for the murder of wealthy businessman Steven McMaster, who was killed in his suburban home nine months ago, after which the house was ransacked. The cause of death was a broken neck, which points to a perpetrator trained in hand-to-hand combat.

Carrigan is suspected because he's a former Green Beret and Iraq war veteran; his DNA was found in an old hat at the crime scene; the victim's ring was found in his locker at a homeless shelter; and an informant claims he bragged about the crime.

Andy is prodded by his sympathetic wife Laurie - a former cop who's now a private investigator - and takes Carrigan's case.....along with temporary custody of the pooch Zooey, who's about to have puppies! 😃

Carrigan wants a very fast trial because he has PTSD and claustrophobia, and can't abide being locked up. So Andy quickly lines up his 'team', which consists of:

- Edna: Andy's self-appointed office manager who's allergic to work of any kind; when Andy asks her to xerox a stack of documents, he "hopes to get the copies before the judge sentences Carrigan."



- Sam: Andy's accountant, who's a computer genius that can hack into anything and everything. Almost before you finish asking for something, Sam replies,"I'm on it."



- Hike: Andy's gloomy law partner who "is not just glass half empty guy; he thinks the glass can never hope to be filled again."



- Marcus: a security expert who hardly speaks and is so big and tough even Andy is scared of him.



Meanwhile, other criminals are making waves in the region. A low-level mobster goes on the run after Carrigan is arrested, for reasons that aren't clear. And a skilled sniper is shooting people, one at a time. This makes residents in the area very nervous.

As Andy prepares for the Carrigan case, he does background investigations; obtains discovery; questions people; puts together theories of the crime (such as the wife did it); etc. When Andy finally goes to court to represent Carrigan, his questioning of witnesses - and witty repartee with the judge and prosecutor - lend a Perry Masonish vibe to the story (IF Mason was a stand-up comedian).




As the story races along, we learn more about the fleeing mobster, the relentless sniper, and McMaster's murder - and it becomes clear that a clever puppetmaster is pulling strings for nefarious purposes.

It's fun to see Andy schmooze with his wife; hang out with his son; walk Tara and Zooey; join his friends (a cop and a newspaperman) at a local pub; collaborate with his colleagues; get ready for Christmas; and so on. This is a fun and entertaining cozy mystery, perfect for the holiday season. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell" by Alexandra Horowitz

Alexandra Horowitz teaches at Barnard College and runs the 'Dog Cognition Lab' there. Horowitz has penned many books about dogs, and - in this informative volume - writes about the sense of smell in dogs and humans.


Alexandra Horowitz


Alexandra Horowitz with her dogs, Finnegan and Upton

Horowitz begins with a brief introduction to her own canine snufflers, Finnegan and Upton, and goes on to describe the dog olfactory system in some detail. In short, odor molecules are sniffed into the dog's nostrils and follow a hurley burley journey back to the nasal tissue, which sends signals to the brain. There the message is interpreted: poop? biscuit? the annoying cat next door? The human olfaction system is somewhat similar to that of a dog, but less complex and less sensitive.




Dog olfaction system

There are innumerable kinds of smells, but most people - except for sommeliers and perfumers - don't have the vocabulary to describe them. We know we like bakery smells and don't like sewage smells. We may even be able to say one is buttery and caramelly and the other is urinous and fecal, but that's about the extent of our descriptors. Be that as it may, smell - a form of 'chemosensation' - is an important evolved strategy. It tells organisms to avoid things that are toxic and to move toward things that are beneficial.

Animal 'smell organs' come in many varieties: molluscs smell with their tentacles; male silk moths with their feathery antennae; nematode worms with an opening near their front tips; elephants with their trunks; and so on.

Humans, of course, have noses, but we use them very little compared to other animals. In fact, smell is the sense most people say they would be willing to lose. This would be a huge mistake, however, because taste is 80% smell. The flavor of delicious food APPEARS to come from the mouth, but REALLY comes from the nose. You can test this by holding your nose while eating.



In additon, smells can be incredibly informative. Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, was "exquisitely sensitive to smell." From a sniff, Keller could tell the work a person was engaged in, because the odors of wood, iron, paint, and drugs cling to the clothes of those that work with them. Thus Helen could distinguish a carpenter from an iron worker, and an artist from a mason or a chemist. Even when a person passed by quickly, Helen knew whether she/he had been in the kitchen, garden, sickroom, etc.

Presumably, anyone could do this with practice, because approximately 1% of our genome codes for olfactory receptors (this is a lot, considering how complex we are). Experiments have shown that mothers can pick out the smell of their newborn's shirt from a mass of baby shirts; kids can pick out the smell of their siblings, even after not seeing them for two years; dog owners can tell which of two blankets THEIR pooch has used; people can detect which of their friends/family has handled a book by its aroma; etc.

To test and improve her sense of smell, Horowitz participated in an olfaction study at Rockefeller University, consisting of 10 two-hour sessions. During each session, Horowitz sat in front of a computer with a bin of 100 or so small bottles by her side. The procedure was to open a bottle, take a sniff, and key in a response.

The odor was evaluated for strength; pleasantness; and familiarity as well as specific characteristics: fruity; fishy; grassy; urinous; edible....etc. (there are 17 options). Horowitz acknowledges that she found almost all the aromas unnamable, though she recognized coconut, bubble gum, pencil shavings, almond extract, wheat grass, and Smarties candy. Some of the smells were horrible....but she had to smell them all.



Horowitz made additional efforts to improve her sensory acuity, including:

- An organized 'walking and smelling tour' of a New York City neighborhood, to sniff and identify odors she'd been missing or ignoring.

- A tracking exercise near the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, where she saw signs of bears; flying squirrels; cottontail rabbits; deer; etc. Horowitz was instructed to look for claw marks; shed hairs; paths foraged through undergrowth; depressions in grass; fur where an animal lay/nested; and excretions - droppings; secretions; pellets; and so on. The scientist was told to "get down on your knees and stick your nose right in."

- A wine tasting class in Napa Valley, California.

- A consultation with a perfumer.

- Sniffing practice with a 'smell testing kit' gifted by her husband.


Smell testing kit

Of course a dog's nose is exponentially better than a human nose. If you walk into a house and smell a tray of cinnamon buns baking, it will smell like a trillion cinnamon buns to your dog. Thus dogs make excellent detectors and trackers.

Horowitz visited the University of Pennsylvania's 'Working Dog Center', located in an abandoned Dupont Chemical Plant.....where sniffer dogs are trained. Canines can be taught to detect anything that has a smell, such as: a lost person; a specific drug; an explosive; an invasive plant; a cancerous cell; a destructive insect; animal scat; and so on.

At the Working Dog Center, a successful 'detection' is rewarded with a vigorous game of tug.....and this is how the dogs are trained. In an old building, a trainer and a dog play tug with a towel that has a particular scent (like cocaine, for example). The trainer then throws the towel, and the dog retrieves it. The trainer then hides the towel, and the dog finds it. Little by little, the towel is replaced with the scent alone, and the dog learns to 'alert' on that aroma. This type of training goes on for the pooch's entire working life, to keep her/him up to snuff.




Sniffer dogs at work

After watching the indoor training session at the Working Dog Center, Horowitz observed dogs in the field, searching for a person hiding in a barrel. Dog 1 took 42 seconds; Dog 2 - who stopped to poop - took 92 seconds; Dog 3 took 34 seconds....and so on. The author noted that each dog had its own style, and each was a model of efficiency.

Lastly, Horowitz returned inside to watch dogs participate in an exercise for 'Human Remains Detection' (HRD). To the scientist, the training substance smelled sweet and vominous, like a carnation rotting in water. However, dogs are attracted to this type of 'death odor' - which is produced by cells breaking down. Canines who do well in HRD become cadaver dogs.




Cadaver dogs at work

Other dogs may be trained to do medical diagnoses. For example:
- A 44-year-old woman's collie-doberman mix became focused on her left thigh, constantly sniffing at a mole there, and even nipping at it - as if to bite it off.
- A 66-year-old man's labrador began to obsessively sniff his thigh, which seemed to have a patch of itchy eczema.
- A 44-year-old woman's dachshund puppy started showing undue interest in her left armpit.

In each case, the dog had discovered a malignant tumor! 😞 It's not yet known what smell attracted the dogs' interest, but it might be aberrant protein synthesis by cancer cells. Could sniffer dogs be trained to be 'diagnosticians?' This is currently being studied at Penn's Working Dog Center.

One area with a "perfect convergence of dogs' desires and our own" is truffle detection. Truffles - which are underground mushrooms - smell wonderful to dogs and are very valuable to people. A golf ball size Perigord truffle from France sells for over 100 dollars, and enormous 2 ½ pound truffles have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thus, some sniffer dogs have been trained to locate truffles.


Dog being shown a truffle


Truffle dogs at work


Pile of truffles

Unlike sniffer dogs, our pet pooches - who get fed at home and discouraged from dallying on walks - have let their noses go dormant. The good news is, their snufflers can be reactivated. Horowitz's dog Finnegan was taken to a Long Island Obedience school, where the 'smelling classes' were "his favorite place on Earth." (Maybe he'll learn to find a million dollar truffle. 😍)

The book is interesting and informative, but a bit dry and repetitive. Still, well worth reading for people interested in the subject.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Never Nosh a Matzo Ball: A Cozy Mystery" by Sharon Kahn

In this amusing cozy mystery set in the town of Eternal, Texas, Ruby Rothman, widow of the late rabbi of Temple Rita, is involved in many Temple activities.



So when Ruby's nemesis - bossy, narcissistic Essie Sue Margolis.....



...... decides to sell lo-cal (and inedible) matzo balls as a fund raiser for the Temple, Ruby is roped in to help.



In the midst of planning the matzo ball sale, Bogie, a trainer at the fitness center owned by Essie Sue is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Of course Ruby, being a natural born yenta and self-styled amateur sleuth gets right on the job.



Plenty of fun situations and fun characters in the book. Great for a light read.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "How to be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals" by Sy Montgomery

Sy Montgomery writes books and documentaries about animals for both children and adults. In this book, Montgomery shares stories about some of her favorite creatures, including her family pets; an octopus in an aquarium; and creatures in their natural environment.


Sy Montgomery

Montgomery travels around the world to research her books, and has visited the cloud forests of Papua New Guinea; Mongolia's Gobi Desert; Amazon rivers; the Australian Outback; and much more. Every animal Montgomery got to know was a good creature - "a marvel and perfect in his or her own way" - and each one helped her become a better person.

Sy's love affair with animals began when she was a child and her family adopted a Scottish terrier named Molly. Young Sy wanted to be just like Molly,"Fierce. Feral. Unstoppable." The author relates anecdotes about Molly breaking her tether to chase rabbits; stealing black dress socks and shaking them to death; capturing soccer balls and killing them; and being saluted as she trotted by the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (though that might be because Molly was the General's canine).


A Scottish terrier

Sy was enraptured by Molly's "otherworldly powers" - the dog's enhanced abilities to hear, smell, and see in the dark. To learn more about these superpowers, little Sy intensely studied every inch of the canine, from her tongue to her anus - and daydreamed about running away with Molly, living in the woods, and learning the secrets of wild animals. Sy grew up to fulfill this ambition, and became a renowned naturalist and animal expert.

*****

Montgomery has studied animals of every description. For example, she made friends with three emus in the Australian Outback after, in her words, the first sight of them felt like a "shock stung the top of my head, like a laser bolt." To determine if emus were important dispersers of seeds, Montgomery spent her days searching for 'emu pies' and following the birds, who she named Black Head; Knackered Leg (for a leg injury); and Bald Throat (for a whitish patch on the neck).


An emu


'Black Head, Knackered Leg, and Bald Throat'

It took a while, but the huge flightless birds eventually accepted Montgomery's presence, allowing her to follow them and even sleep with them. The writer studied the emus for six months, and wept when it was time to return home, where she would miss the peace, joy, and satisfaction the birds had given her.

*****

Sy and her husband Howard Mansfield (the writer) live on a farm in Hancock, New Hampshire - perfect for raising animals. At a low point in Sy's life - when she was deeply depressed about the cancellation of a book deal and the loss of her father - Howard arranged for the adoption of a sick baby pig to cheer Sy up.

Sy Montgomery's husband, Howard Mansfield

The piglet, named Christopher Hogwood, needed warmth, love, and TLC - and caring for him helped Sy heal. Christopher loved to eat, play, snuggle, explore, and meet people, and he often broke out of his pen to visit the neighbors.....who would call Sy to retrieve him. Thus Christopher helped Sy make new friends, and gave her something to talk about at parties.


Christopher Hogwood when he was a young pig


Sy Montgomery with full grown Christopher Hogwood (750 pounds)

Christopher was soon joined by 'the ladies', a gaggle of black, sex-link hens gifted by Sy's friend. The chickens enjoyed being petted, picked up, and kissed on their combs.


Sy Montgomery and Howard Mansfield with 'the ladies'


Sy Montgomery feeding 'the ladies'


Sy Montgomery playing with one of her chickens

Then came Tess, a previously abused two-year-old black and white border collie - who liked to play with toys, catch frisbees, and go for hikes. Tess amazed Sy with her intelligence, strength, and agility.


Howard Mansfield with a border collie


A pet border collie

The menagerie at the farm attracted visitors from the entire neighborhood, especially two schoolgirls next door, who saved their lunches for Christopher, made him a 'pig spa' (for baths), and visited the farm every day - essentially becoming part of Sy and Howard's family. In essence, the domestic animals helped Sy (who's childless by choice) acquire a large extended family to love.

*****

Montgomery traveled to French Guiana in South America to meet the "Goliath birdeater", the largest tarantula on Earth, who has a leg span that can cover a person's face (think of the larval monster in the movie 'Alien' 😵☠ ).


A Goliath birdeater

In French Guiana, Sy fell in love with a tarantula called Clarabelle, who became the spider ambassador to a group of Guianan schoolchildren. The brave kids even consented to hold Clarabelle on their palms, and one little girl exclaimed, "Elle est belle, le monstre." (She is beautiful, the monster.)

[FYI: In graduate school I worked for an entomologist/arachnologist who whipped out a tarantula whenever he interviewed a new job applicant, just for fun. He probably lost a few prospective employees. 😁]


Sy Montgomery with a tarantula

Other animals Montgomery writes about in the book include:
- An ermine that, following its instincts, killed one of the farm's pet chickens (Sy was sad but doesn't hold a grudge).
- Tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea - which required three days of arduous mountain hiking to reach.
- A giant Pacific octopus called Octavia, who lived in the New England Aquarium and liked to embrace Montgomery's arms with her tentacles.


An ermine


A tree kangaroo



Octavia the octopus


Sy Montgomery with Octavia the octopus

*****

When - at ripe old ages - Christopher (the pig) and Tess (the dog) died, Montgomery was so grief-stricken that she considered suicide. Sy's hair fell out, her gums bled, and her brain misfired, making it hard to remember words. Months later Tess came to Sy in a dream, showing her a new border collie to adopt. After considerable searching, on border collie rescue sites and at rescue facilities, a friend came up with the exact right dog. Sy's husband Howard took some convincing, but soon enough Sally - a female border collie who'd been seriously mistreated - came to the farm.

Sally was a handful! She dug holes in the lawn; constantly ate and rolled in other animals' poop; and ate any food she could reach - including Howard's crab cakes; a birthday cake; an entire box of oatmeal; lunches out of backpacks; and sandwiches on their way to a person's mouth. But Sally was also a fun playmate, an enthusiastic hiker, and an affectionate pooch. Sally loved to be kissed and brushed, and she made Sy "unspeakably happy."

After Sally passed away, Sy and Howard got a third border collie called Thurber, who's "so happy that he sings." Thurber is especially prone to howl along with morning radio; Bruce Springsteen; and the songs 'Say Something' and "Gracias a la Vida."

*****

In addition to talking about her animals, Montgomery includes snippets about her personal life - which wasn't always easy. In addition to suffering from repeated bouts of deep depression following the loss of people and animals, Montgomery had a fraught relationship with her parents.

According to Sy's aunt, her mother smothered and shook her repeatedly when she was a baby, because her crying "ruined mom's cocktail hour." Whatever happened, two-year-old Sy fell dangerously ill, and didn't play, talk, or grow for months. Sy's parents worked hard to make her well, and small Sy's love of animals (including Molly) helped her recover.

Montgomery's parents also rejected her as an adult, after she became a naturalist. They were disappointed that she didn't train for the army in college and adopt their lifestyle. Sy's parents kept a membership for her at both the 'Army Navy Town Club' and 'Army Navy Country Club' in Washington, D.C., hoping she'd meet a suitable military man. Instead, Sy married a middle-class, liberal Jewish writer.

A week after the wedding, Sy's wealthy, conservative Methodist father wrote her a letter in which he formally disowned her and compared her to "the serpent that did sting thy father's life" (a quote from Hamlet). Sy later (more or less) reconciled with her parents, but they never allowed her husband Howard into their home.

Nevertheless, in her acknowledgements Montgomery notes that, although she and her parents had many disagreements, "I always loved them. I know that, in their own way, they loved me, too." Sy notes that she wouldn't have wanted any other parents, because her folks made her the determined person she is.

At the end of the story, Montgomery lists the ten books that inspired her to write about the natural world, and the books she's penned for adults and children.

Because of the personal anecdotes, this book is probably suitable for ages 12 to adult (though small children would like the animal stories).

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to people interested in animals and nature.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Sy Montgomery), and the publisher (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars