Review of "The Lake of Dreams: A Novel" by Kim Edwards

Twenty-nine year old Lucy Jarrett left her upstate New York home town - called 'The Lake of Dreams' - soon after her father accidently drowned a decade ago.



Lucy went to college, became a hydrologist, and took a series of overseas jobs. Two years ago Lucy met Yoshi in Jakarta, and they fell in love and settled down in Japan - where Yoshi has an engineering job.



Lucy is looking for work and teaching English to Japanese students to stave off boredom.

When Lucy learns that her mother had a minor accident, she debates returning to 'The Lake of Dreams' for a visit. Yoshi encourages Lucy to go, and plans to join her after he concludes a scheduled business trip.

When Lucy arrives back in 'The Lake of Dreams', she decides to stay in her old upstairs bedroom, even though her mother shut up the house's second story after her husband's death, because of the painful memories.



While Lucy is nosing around in the upstairs window seats - using the lockpicking skills she learned from her locksmith father - she comes across a batch of pamphlets and a few notes that belonged to a long-dead relative named Rose.



None of Lucy's relations have ever mentioned Rose, who seems to have been deliberately erased from the family tree a century ago, during the era of Lucy's great-grandfather.

Some of Rose's unearthed leaflets are about the women's suffrage movement, and others contain information about women's biology - a subject that was discouraged, or even forbidden (can you imagine!! 😕), during Rose's time. In fact, in one of Rose's notes she mentions that she never saw her own naked body until she visited an aristocrat's house that had a large mirror - a visit that had dramatic consequences.





When Lucy's mother, Evie, sees Rose's dusty pamphlets she remembers a packet she found hidden in an old trunk years ago, and brings out a beautiful silk scarf and another note in Rose's distinctive handwriting.



Lucy becomes intensely curious about Rose's story and goes to great lengths to learn more about this long-lost relative - researching church documents, visiting historical societies, and so on.



Lucy learns that Rose was born in England and came to the United States under difficult circumstances. Moreover, Rose was a rebel who supported the suffragette movement, dreamed of being an Episcopal priest, and may have modeled for an artist who made stained glass windows for churches.



Lucy begins researching the stained glass windows in an old abandoned church.....



.....and is helped by her old high school boyfriend, Keegan Fall - who's a glass artisan and the owner of a glass-blowing factory. Lucy is strongly attracted to Keegan, but she loves Yoshi, so she has some issues to work out.



Meanwhile, an old army depot in 'The Lake of Dreams' has been decommissioned, and there's intense disagreement about what to do with the land. Native Americans think they have a claim on it; ecologists want to establish a nature preserve; and developers want to build houses and commercial establishments. As it happens, Lucy's Uncle Art - her father's brother - is in the developer camp, and thinks his proposed projects would make him very rich.



Not only is Art hoping to purchase the depot land, he's also trying to convince Lucy's mother to sell him HER property, which abuts the depot.



However, Art cheated his brother (Lucy's father) out of his inheritance years ago, and there's been bad blood between Art and Lucy's family every since. It's true that Art has been 'nicey nicey' since his brother drowned - helping with house repairs and the like - but he's not been forgiven by a long shot.

All these issues - the story of Rose's life; Lucy choosing Keegan or Yoshi; and the future of the depot - play out as the story unfolds. Other things are going on as well. Lucy's mother has a new beau; Lucy's brother and his girlfriend are expecting a baby; and Lucy's obnoxious cousin stirs up bad memories. All this gets Lucy speculating about her past.....and her future. There are also startling revelations about the death of Lucy's father, an incident that has haunted Lucy for a decade.

The book has a solid plot and engaging characters, but moves much too slowly. A big chunk of the narrative is about Lucy researching Rose's history, which includes a lot of driving around, talking to people, and philosophizing about life. There's also a lot of blather about a pattern of overlapping circles woven into Rose's silk scarf. For me, all this is less than riveting.



Moreover, the author is heavy-handed about imbuing her characters with feminist ideals, which is so pronounced as to be unrealistic. Both Rose and Lucy daydream about being an Episcopal priest, and there's an actual female priest (Suzi - a lovely woman) in the story.



In addition, Rose's support for women's suffrage has consequences that seem extreme. I'm an ardent feminist, but writers need to be careful about overly politicizing novels - which can detract from the story.

I'm probably not the target audience for this novel because I find it just so-so. However fans of historical novels, feminist literature, and/or chick lit might be more enthusiastic, and I'd recommend the book to those readers.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Monster of Florence: A True Story" by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi

From the late 1960’s to the 1980’s a serial killer sporadically stalked the countryside around Florence, murdering young couples and mutilating the female victims.




Some victims of the Monster of Florence

Over the years, numerous men became suspects, many were jailed, and some were put on trial. To this day, however, the true killer, dubbed “the monster of Florence” has not been identified.


Sketch of 'the monster of Florence'


Monster of Florence suspect Stefano Mele being arrested

Douglas Preston, an author of crime novels, moved to Florence with his family to write a novel. Once there he decided to write a non-fiction book about the monster in collaboration with Mario Spezi, a journalist who had been writing about the subject for years. The result is this book, a fascinating tale about both the serial killer and the culture around Florence at the time.


Douglas Preston


Mario Spezi

Apparently a major recreational activity among the general public in Florence (at least the male half) was spying on young couples making love in cars. This activity included staking out the “best spots” to watch and even paying off the “regulars” to snag their places. Of course, this is very creepy.

Other parts of the story depict the macho culture in Italy, in which some men mistreated, starved, and beat their wives...and even murdered them – often with few consequences.

According to Preston there are probably many reasons the monster of Florence wasn’t caught. Firstly, there was a lot of shoddy police work in which crime scenes weren’t secured and people wandered around at will.




Crime scene photos related to 'the monster of Florence

Second, there was an inept judicial system in which the major players cared more about advancing their careers than convicting the right person. In fact the judges actually closed the investigation on the most likely suspects, forcing police to look elsewhere.

A fascinating part of the book depicts the harassment of Preston and Spezi by the police and the judiciary. In fact, at one point Spezi was accused of being the murderer and put in jail – perhaps in an attempt to stop the publication of this book - which casts officials in a decidedly unflattering light.

Preston and Spezi believe they know the identity of the monster and present a convincing case – but perhaps it’s too late for justice to prevail.

This is a well-written and engaging book. Both mystery fans and true crime aficionados would enjoy it.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Far From True: Promise Falls #2" by Linwood Barclay

This is the second book in the 'Broken Promise' trilogy. Plot-wise, the story could be read as a standalone. However, I'd strongly recommend readers begin with book one, for character development.

*****

This sequel to Broken Promise picks up where the first book ended. Two women in Promise Falls, New York have been brutally killed in a disturbingly similar fashion - Olivia Fisher several years ago and Rosemary Gaynor just recently.



In addition the town has experienced a rash of crimes connected with the number 23.



As this second book in the trilogy opens a car full of boisterous youths is heading for the 'Constellation Drive-In Theater' for it's last show ever.



As the boys are trying to get past the gatekeeper - with one boy hiding in the trunk just for fun - there's an explosion and the movie screen collapses.



Two cars are squashed, four people are killed, and many movie- goers are injured. As it turns out the catastrophe occurred at 11:23 P.M. (or 23:23 in military time).

Detective Barry Duckworth is the lead investigator for all the crimes, a high stress job that interferes with his (supposed) weight loss regime.



While Duckworth's wife gives him grapefruit and skinless chicken, the detective sneakily eats hamburgers and pie on the job. LOL. 😊

Duckworth soon discovers that one couple killed at the drive-in was local celebrity Adam Chalmers and his wife Miriam.



In his youth Adam belonged to a criminal biker gang but gave it up to become a successful (and wealthy) writer....and Miriam is his beautiful third wife.

As the story unfolds private detective Cal Weaver (a character in previous Barclay novels) is caught up in the drama when Adam's Chalmers' daughter, Lucy Brighton, hires him.



She thinks someone has been sneaking around her deceased father's house. Weaver makes a startling discovery in the Chalmers' home, a finding that soon interests the police as well.

Various characters from the first book are on hand once again. Former journalist David Harwood.....



.....continues to work for slimy disgraced ex-mayor Randall Finley, who's determined to get back into office any way he can; the scene where Finley announces his candidacy is priceless and funny.



Samantha Worthington is still being harassed by her jailed ex-husband's parents, who are trying to wrest away custody of her son Carl; this leads to plenty of excitement and danger.



And Clive Duncomb, Thackeray College's head of security, is once again hiding things from the 'real cops.' Clive, who thinks he's smarter than everyone else, is a truly unlikable guy.



An array of minor characters from book one also make an appearance. And - for those who like that kind of thing - the story also has a couple of budding romances. I don't like love affairs in mystery books but these aren't graphic or heavy handed.

The book is an arresting page turner that kept my interest throughout. I have to admit, though, that one of the 'secrets' in the book stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. As with Broken Promise, the end of the book leaves things unresolved. I look forward to finishing the trilogy to discover exactly what's going on. I have some theories....but we'll see.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Us Against You: A Novel (Beartown # 2)" by Fredrik Backman

This book is the sequel to Fredrik Backman's best seller "Beartown." For maximum comprehension and pleasure, the books should be read in order.

*****

Beartown is a cloistered village in the Swedish forest, where hockey is the local obsession. In the first book, Beartown's junior hockey team is on the cusp of winning a national championship when an allegation of rape scandalizes the town and rips the hockey team apart.



People take sides, there's a great deal of victim-blaming, and some former friends become bitter enemies. Everyone in Beartown is anguished after the incident, partly because they lament the disruption to hockey, and partly because they have empathy for either the perpetrator or the victim.



The second book, "Us Against You", picks up where the first book left off. 

SPOILER ALERT//SPOILER ALERT//SPOILER ALERT

Beartown's junior hockey team is in tatters, and most of its members are now playing for the rival town of Hed. The Beartown 'Bears' 🐻 and the Hed 'Bulls' 🐮 have always been bitter rivals, so this change in loyalties causes much strife. Moreover, many people blame the girl who was raped for the unhappy situation and frequently text her slurs like "Whore, Liar, Princess." 😫



Angry fans want the rape victim's family to leave town, and start a campaign of harassment - getting moving companies to call the house and deliver packing boxes to the front door. It seems like very few people, except for the victim's family and her best friend, understand (or care) that the girl was severely traumatized by the assault. Her younger brother, however, is furious and rebellious - always on the brink of starting a fight or a conflagration (literally).



To make matters worse, Beartown's city council has decided to withdraw financial support for hockey. The league's General Manager, Peter Andersson - who's devoted his life to the sport - doesn't know what to do.



The remainder of the townsfolk also start to despair. The 'five old men' - who used to spend every day in the Bearskin Pub arguing about hockey - are emblematic of the town's misery.



The elderly codgers now stay home, sad and talking to no one.

Enter the town's savior, self-serving politician Richard Theo. Theo - whose every waking moment is spent scheming to gain power - has a plan to save Beartown hockey.



The program involves getting foreign investors to salvage the town's failing factory AND sponsor the hockey league. Theo constantly lies and manipulates people to get what he wants, but he does manage to keep the hockey league in business.

A female hockey coach named Elisabeth Zackell is hired, which is a shock to the men in town. Nevertheless, Zackell is a talented woman, and she assembles a team around several popular players who didn't defect to Hed: Amat - who's fast; Bobo - who's big; and Benji - who's tough.



Zackell also wants teenager Vidar Rinnius -brother of Beartown hooligan Teemu Rinnius - to be the goalie. The problem is that Vidar, who has severe anger management problems, is in juvie jail. Against all odds, Vidar gets sprung - courtesy of Richard Theo - just so he can join the Bears.

The Bears and the Bulls have some very contentious encounters, both on and off the rink.



The result is that several people get beat up; a building burns down; and there's a deadly car accident. Also on the downside, an unhappy girl 'outs' a gay hockey player - which has terrible consequences for the young man. Hateful townsfolk send the boy cutting texts, like "Fag, Queer, Homo, and Poof".....and rival fans shout, "Fags. Whores. Rapists" at hockey games.

The hockey situation also adversely affects the marriage of General Manager Peter Andersson and his lawyer wife Kira. For twenty years, Kira has put her ambitions on hold for Peter's career, and even now - when Peter's job is shaky - he once again asks his wife to 'wait until next year' to follow her dreams. (I was irritated with Peter, who's obtuse and selfish.)



The situation plays out as it will and some lessons are learned.

One of my favorite characters is little 4 ½ -year-old Alicia, who practices hockey all day long and regularly runs away from preschool to practice her shots. This girl is a determined cutie. 🌺



Like the first book, this story demonstrates the cruel tendency to 'blame the victim.' Backman also exposes hypocrites who 'have nothing against homosexuals' but 'worry about the children.' These phonies also have a habit of pointing out that 'not everyone is as open-minded as they are.' Yeah right!! 😕👎

END  SPOILER ALERT//END  SPOILER ALERT//END  SPOILER ALERT

"Us Against You" has garnered very high praise from many readers but for me, it's just okay. I find it hard to believe that hockey is SO important to Beartown and Hed that almost every waking thought and action revolves around the game. In addition, the author does a lot of philosophizing, using hockey as a metaphor for life, and I found this to be overdone.

Still, people who enjoyed the first book will probably like this one, and I'd recommend it to those readers.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Black Skies: An Inspector Erlendur Novel" by Arnaldur Indriðason

In this tenth book in the "Inspector Erldendur" series, a different member of the investigative team - Detective Óli - looks into the murder of a woman who engages in 'wife-swapping' activities. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Though nominally an Inspector Erlendur novel the detective in this book is his team member, Sigurdur Óli.



In Reykjavík, Iceland, Detective Sigurdur Óli is approached for a favor by his friend Patrekur. It seems that Patrekur's sister-in-law and her husband have engaged in a spot of wife swapping....



.....and are being blackmailed by another swinger couple, Lina and Ebbi.



Patrekur asks Sigurdar Óli to pressure the blackmailers to back off and to get the incriminating photos of his relatives.

Sigurdur Óli goes to the blackmailing couple's house at the exact moment Lina is being viciously attacked with a baseball bat and fatally injured. The attacker runs past Sigurdur Óli and escapes. Despite his personal involvement in the case Sigurdur Óli joins the investigative team. He soon discovers that Lina and Ebbi owe a large amount of money and frequently engage in extramarital trysts. Thus the detective team looks for suspects among Reykjavík's debt collectors as well as men who have received sexual favors from Lina.



Meanwhile Sigurdur Óli is repeatedly contacted by an elderly alcoholic tramp, Andrés, who has has taken an old man hostage and tied him up in a basement.



Andrés is incoherent, however, and can't make Sigurdur Óli understand his situation.

Sigurdur Óli has to dig through layers of intrigue to discover who attacked Lina and why. He also looks into Andrés difficulties and uncovers some shocking secrets.

The book has an array of interesting characters, including Sigurdar Óli's girlfriend and mother, fellow detectives, local thugs, and shady bankers. The story has an engaging plot that leads to a satisfying resolution. Very good mystery.

Rating: 4 stars