Review of "The Breakdown: A Novel of Suspense" by B.A. Paris

On the evening before the summer holidays, schoolteacher Cass Anderson says goodbye to her colleagues, gets into her car, and heads for home.



A sudden thunderstorm makes road conditions hazardous so Cass takes a shortcut through dark, woodsy, isolated Blackwater Lane.....though she promised her husband she wouldn't.

On Blackwater Lane Cass spots a car pulled off in a lay-by, with a woman inside. Thinking the woman might need assistance Cass stops in front of her and waits. The woman doesn't get out, or flash her lights, or tap her horn, so Cass - thinking of stories about thieves setting traps for do-gooders - goes on her way.

The next day the BBC reports that a woman was found murdered in Blackwater Lane.



Realizing it was the person in the lay-by Cass feels terrible, thinking she might have been able to help the victim. It also occurs to Cass that the killer may have been lurking about.....and seen her!



Cass is so shocked, confused, and guilt-ridden that she can't make herself call the police, or even tell her husband Matthew what happened. Worse yet, when Cass learns the name of the victim, Jane Walters, she realizes she knew her. Cass's best friend Rachel had invited her to a leaving party for a co-worker a couple of weeks back, and Jane was there. Cass and Jane had hit it off and met for lunch a couple of days later.



On top of being distraught about Jane, other worrisome things are happening to Cass:



- She forgets to purchase the group gift for her friend Susie's birthday, and can't even remember getting the money.....or what she was supposed to buy.

- After receiving an estimate from a security company Cass apparently agrees to have her house alarmed,  but doesn't recall making the arrangements or signing the contract.

- When a friend calls to ask what time his family should come over for a barbecue, Cass doesn't remember inviting them, and is completely unprepared.

- While purchasing a baby outfit for a friend Cass seemingly orders a pram to be delivered to her house, but has no memory of doing this.

- Cass is sure she parked her car on Level Four of the shopping center's car park, but it isn't there when she returns.

And so on.

Cass thinks she's getting early onset dementia, a condition that contributed to her mother's premature death. Cass can't decide what to do. Matthew doesn't know about her mother's illness, and Cass is afraid to tell him now - thinking he'll be sorry he married her.



To add to her troubles Cass starts getting frightening phone calls. Every morning, after Matthew leaves for work, the phone rings.....but no one speaks.



Cass convinces herself that this is Jane's killer, who plans to murder her. Cass becomes increasingly anxious and fearful - jumps at every sound - and begins to behave irrationally.

Matthew realizes that something is off, but he's a very solicitous spouse.....constantly hugging and caressing Cass, and planting kisses on her face and head. (This overdose of affection made me squirm.) 





Matthew even arranges for Cass to see a doctor, where she gets pills to ease her stress.

Cass tries to lessen her unease by looking in on Jane's husband and children, and confiding in her former boyfriend John.



Eventually an important discovery leads to a satisfactory denouement, and that's all I can say.

For me this book is just okay. The entire narrative is told from Cass's perspective, so we follow what Cass is seeing, hearing, thinking, saying, and doing - day after day - for many weeks.



This makes the book feel a bit slow and claustrophobic (to me). Moreover, Cass behaves in a naïve and foolish fashion, which got on my nerves. I prefer female protagonists to be bright and and capable. And finally, many readers are likely to figure out what's going on early in the book, which lessens the pleasurable suspense.

In parting I'll say this: if you enjoyed B.A. Paris's book Behind Closed Doors you'll probably like this story - and vice versa.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Crush: A Novel of Suspense" by Sandra Brown

Dr. Rennie Newton, a skilled surgeon, is the foreman of the jury that acquits psychotic professional assassin Ricky Lozada of murder because of reasonable doubt.



Unfortunately for Rennie, Lozada becomes infatuated with the pretty doctor during the trial and convinces himself that she returns his affections. So after his acquittal Lozada decides to pursue a relationship with Rennie. He sends her flowers, stalks her, and goes so far as "to do her the favor" of murdering a rival doctor.



Rennie becomes a suspect in the murder and Detective Oren Wesley - instead of doing any investigation whatsoever - starts a campaign of surveillance and harassment to convict Rennie.



For assistance Oren calls in his suspended former partner, Detective Wick Threadgill.



Here the book becomes a cliché romance novel. Wick (of course) is overwhelmingly attracted to Rennie who (of course) is a cold fish because of a difficult past.



The assassin Lozada becomes enraged with Wick's attentions to Rennie and decides to take action.



Though Brown is a skilled writer this is a completely predictable book with no surprises. In addition, the characters are not particularly likable. Wick is an an arrogant dude whose major goal is to have sex with Rennie; Oren is a lazy police officer who makes no attempt to find the real killer; and Rennie - though a little more sympathetic than the guys - is two-dimensional and hard to care about.

If you're a hard core romance fan you might like this book. Otherwise, skip it.

Rating: 2 stars

Review of "Alena: A Novel of Suspense" by Rachel Pastan

This book, an homage to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, follows an arc that's very similar to the original story.

At the beginning of "Alena" the unnamed narrator, a young woman working as a curatorial assistant at the Midwestern Museum of Art, is attending the Venice Biennale (contemporary art show) with her demanding employer.


Venice Biennale

The narrator catches the eye of a refined, fiftyish, gay gentleman named Bernard Augustin.....



.....who runs a private museum called Nauquasset (The Nauk) on the Cape Cod coast.



Bernard is impressed with the narrator's 'artistic eye' and - just as the young woman is about to be spirited home by her ailing boss - offers her the position of curator of The Nauk.



Bernard then takes the narrator on a whirlwind tour of art capitals in western Europe before whisking her back to Massachusetts, where she's installed in a damp little house on Cape Cod.



The next day the young woman reports to her elegant office in The Nauk where she's introduced to her museum colleagues, all of whom act disdainful (or worse). In fact Agnes - the formidable, garish, black-clad general manager of the museum - is outright hostile.



We learn that Agnes was very close to the museum's previous curator Alena - a striking, raven-haired Russian woman - who disappeared two years ago. It's presumed that Alena, whose body was never found, drowned during a night swim in the ocean.

Though Alena is long gone, her assertive, colorful, larger than life aura still seems to permeate The Nauk. The narrator, by contrast, is self-conscious and retiring - almost afraid to ask Agnes a question, request desk supplies, personalize her office, etc.



Moreover Bernard, instead of helping the curator settle in, leaves town for museum business.



The Nauk, which has been shut since Alena vanished, is set to re-open. For her first big job the new curator is tasked with organizing a show for The Nauk's inauguration on Labor Day weekend, which is only a couple of months away. The Nauk employees assert that Alena promised the next show to Morgan McManus, a Gulf War vet who lost an arm and a leg. Morgan's 'body art' consists of raw images of bombed and mutilated corpses, casts of dismembered limbs, pictures of splattered brains, and so on.



The narrator is disturbed by Morgan's images and - despite pressure from Agnes and others - offers the opening show to a local African-American artist named Celia Cowry, who makes delicate ceramic shell sculptures.



Unfortunately, the curator fails to consult Bernard before booking Celia, which causes a mild kerfuffle. In addition Celia turns out to be a difficult, demanding woman....and The Nauk staff are a bit obstructive. Still, with a lot of hard work the show goes on.

During all this the narrator starts a low key affair with the local Police Chief, Chris Passoa, who investigated Alena's disappearance.



And.....(dramatic drum roll).....a new clue shows up that suggests Alena was murdered! Chief Passoa's renewed investigation leads to the book's climax, where we learn more about Alena's personality, art obsessions, and death. For me, Alena's story is too convoluted, and her demise too contrived.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I did enjoy the narrator's observations about art history, art appreciation, different kinds of art, the relationship of art to politics and race, and so on. For me this was interesting and educational.

On the downside, the book lacks the air of menace and danger that pervades "Rebecca", where the heroine's life seems to be in danger.


Scene from Rebecca

Instead, The Nauk's curator has to deal with employees who snicker behind her back, give her snide looks, and (maybe) perpetrate some minor vandalism. Moreover, the narrator brings some of the grief down on herself. She wears a wrinkled travel outfit on her first day of work and has only one dress (a little black number) for all formal occasions. It doesn't seem to occur to the young woman to have her clothing, books, and other possessions sent from the Midwest.....nor does she do much shopping. In consequence the narrator presents a dowdyish picture in comparison to glamorous Alena.

The young woman is also unrealistically timid. Unlike the main character in Rebecca, the curator is an independent gal with some experience of the world - having attended graduate school in New York City and worked in a museum. I kept thinking she should be able stand up for herself.

Overall, the story is okay, though I'm not sure why an author would want to rewrite a classic. Nevertheless, people who haven't read "Rebecca" can enjoy this book as a compelling original story. And readers familiar with "Rebecca" might get a kick out of making comparisons.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend" by Martin Short

Note: I listened to the audio version of this book which is fun because Short performs some of his famous comic characters, sings, and does impersonations.


Martin Short

Though he may not have realized it at the time, Martin Short was meant to be a performer from childhood. As a youngster he made tape recordings of his family's entertaining quarrels and conversations...as well as his own solitary sketches. This was all fodder for Short's eventual emergence as a comedy machine with a stable of humorous characters.

Short grew up in Toronto, in a large loving Catholic family, but - having many Jewish friends and neighbors - was a little confused about his religion. In a droll anecdote Short relates turning to the priest after his confirmation and asking "Am I Jewish now?"

By the time Short was twenty he had lost an older brother and both parents, and these events deeply affected his life. Knowing he had to make a living Short gave himself a year to get a job in show business...or look for a different career. Needless to say the alternate job wasn't necessary.

During Short's early working life he was on Canada's Second City Television (SCTV) and New York's Saturday Night Live (SNL).


Martin Short as 'Ed Grimley' on SNL


Martin Short as 'Nathan Thurm" on SNL

He later starred in many movies including Three Amigos, Mars Attacks!, and Father of the Bride. In the latter film Short plays a kooky wedding planner with an odd accent that - though understandable to the ladies - is incomprehensible to the bride's dad (played by Steve Martin). Short demonstrates some of the planner's funniest pronunciations, where wedding is 'vodding' and cake is 'kak.' Short also starred in Broadway productions, had his own TV variety show, and was a regular on the late night talk show circuit. (Since the book was published Short landed a new show with Maya Rudolph, called 'Maya and Marty').


Martin Short in 'Three Amigos'


Martin Short in 'Mars Attacks'


Martin Short in 'Father of the Bride'

Short describes and demonstrates some of his most iconic characters including my favorite, Jiminy Glick, an overweight and (gloriously) insensitive celebrity interviewer who occasionally jumps and humps his female guests. Short is also a gifted impersonater, and does a mean Katherine Hepburn amongst others. As added entertainment, Short sings some ditties he (and others) penned...all of which made me smile.




Martin Short as 'Jiminy Glick'

In the course of his career Short met/became friends with lots of show biz people and he mentions a good many of them in the book, including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Paul Shaffer, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Diane Keeton, Lorne Michaels, Gilda Radnor (his girlfriend for a time), Eugene Levy, Jan Hooks, Catherine O'Hara, Tony Curtis....and LOTS more. Short also describes his yearly Christmas parties, where most of the famous guests performed. The 'shows' started off as impromptu fun but - over the years - evolved into carefully crafted and rehearsed presentations.

Some readers/reviewers consider Short mentioning his celebrity friends 'name dropping', but (as I see it) you know who you know. Moreover Short relates entertaining anecdotes along with the names.

Short talks a great deal about his beloved wife Nancy Dolman, their kids, their homes, their activiities, their vacations... and Nancy's tragic death in 2010 from ovarian cancer. Short devotes the last part of the book to Nancy's illness and death, and his grief is deeply felt and touching.


Martin Short with his wife, Nancy Dolman

All in all I enjoyed the book, which gave me some insight into a talented artist and made me laugh.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "A Merciful Death: A Novel of Suspense" by Kendra Elliot

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Eagle's Nest, Oregon contains a large community of preppers - people who stock up on food, water, wood, medical supplies, equipment, guns, and so on. They plan to to be ready for a catastrophe, which they call 'the end of the world as we know it.'



As the book opens someone has killed two preppers and stolen their weapons.

Sheriff Truman Daly, the nephew of a prepper victim, is determined to find his uncle's killer and calls in the FBI.



The Portland office sends Agents Eddie Peterson and Mercy Kilpatrick.



Mercy, an attractive thirtysomething woman, actually lived in Eagle's Nest until the age of eighteen. At that time a tragic occurrence caused a huge rift between Mercy and her prepper family. So Mercy left town never to return.....until now. Mercy is understandably anxious, knowing she'll see family members and old acquaintances in Eagle's Nest.

Before long another prepper is killed and broken mirrors at all the crime scenes link the prepper deaths to two rape/murders that occurred 15 years ago.



Mercy knows about these cold cases for two reasons: the teenage victims were schoolmates of her sister Pearl; and Mercy and her sister Rose were attacked around that time, probably by the same unknown perp (or perps).

Sheriff Daly and Mercy work together closely to solve the crimes. The sheriff is very attracted to Mercy and - noting that she's nervous and tight-lipped about some things - resolves to winkle out her secrets. Daly even follows Mercy when she takes a drive at night, to see where she's going. Mercy's a little angry at first, but this is a mystery/romance....so sparks eventually ignite. (Daly's behavior REALLY irritates me. What business does he have prying into Mercy's private affairs? IMO he should mind his own business!)😣

As the story unfolds we meet Mercy's mother, father, and siblings - some of whom are more conciliatory than others. Mercy also interviews various residents of Eagle's Nest including a mentally challenged man who's very helpful with the investigation.



Later on there's an abduction....and a frantic search for the victim.

For me, this book doesn't work. The incident that occurred 15 years before, which led to Mercy's voluntary exile from Eagle's Nest, was more than justified in my opinion. Mercy's father's hard-headed 'family first' attitude is irresponsible (to put it mildly). Mercy's brother does things that are not credible. Moreover, almost everything about the perp (who I hardly recalled as a character) is 'off': why he breaks mirrors; why he steals guns; why he abducted someone....I didn't buy any of it. Finally, the romance between Mercy and Daly was too treacly for me.😕



I understand this is the first book in a series, but I don't know if I'll read any more. That said, fans of romantic suspense might like the book better than I did.

Rating: 2 stars